4) Korea - 4. Gosuyeochil

With the characters for 'dry' (고), 'thin' (수), 'like' (여), and 'lacquer tree' (칠), it means 'skinny legs look like they've been lacquered black'. Gosuyeochil is recorded in the Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty, Volume 197, the 4th entry on November 25th of the 17th year of King Seongjong's reign (Gansin Year), and in Yongjaechonghwa. The story is as follows: A ghost entered the house of Lee Du, who had become a left-rank official in the Ministry of Personnel. The voice was that of his aunt, who had been dead for 10 years. The ghost's upper body was invisible, but below the waist, it wore a paper skirt. Its legs were thin, with no flesh, only black bones. When asked why its legs were only bones, it replied, 'Isn't it natural since I've been dead for so long?' The ghost demanded meals every morning and evening, and anything it craved at the moment. If its demands weren't met, it would rage and cause a disturbance. If they were met, although it was not seen picking up chopsticks or eating, the food miraculously disappeared. Lee Du tried various methods to get rid of this ghost, but to no avail. Shortly after, Lee Du himself died of illness.