Goosebumps in Korean: Books #4-5, 7

If you had told my ten-year-old self that, as an adult, she would have a Goosebumps collection in another language, she wouldn’t have believed you–and I have no idea what language she would have imagined that collection to be in.

These are books #4-5 and #7 in the Korean Goosebumps series.

I have done my best to track down the illustrator and post a link to somewhere where you can see more of their work. I have taken pictures of the cover art and one interior illustration from each book under the principle of Fair Use and for educational purposes.

My goal in sharing is to showcase the work of Korean illustrators whose work might not otherwise be seen by a global audience. The Goosebumps franchise had a huge impact on the childhood of many American millennials, and it is interesting to see how these books are interpreted, through illustrations, for an audience of 21st century Korean children.

Additional note: when Romanizing the names of the translators and illustrators, I have tried to use their preferred Romanization when I’ve found it listed on their social media or other websites.

Goosebumps #4: Welcome to Camp Nightmare (여름 캠프의 악몽, “Nightmare in Summer Camp”)

written by R.L. Stine
translated by 고정아, Ko Jeong-ah
illustrations by 조승연, Cho Seung-yeon

cover of the Korean translation of “Welcome to Camp Nightmare,” featuring a child wearing a backpack running away from a scary wolf-like silhouette

The fourth Goosebumps book to be translated into Korean is book number nine in the original franchise, “Welcome to Camp Nightmare.” It is “여름 캠프의 악몽” (Nightmare at Summer Camp) in Korean.

When I first saw the cover for this book, I knew that it was one of the Goosebumps books set at summer camp (it’s there in the Korean title) but the child looked like he was wearing a space helmet.

The illustrations have a very nice graphite pencil touch to them. I can’t find any information about the illustrator online because they share their name with a TV personality and writer and a singer-songwriter who goes by the stage name Woodz.

interior illustration featuring a wolf-like creature drooling, over a separate scene of three children sitting idly

This the third Goosebumps book translated by Jo Keong-ah.

Goosebumps #5: How I Got My Shrunken Head (악령을 부르는 머리, “The Head That Calls Evil Spirits”)

written by R.L. Stine
translated by 고정아, Ko Jeong-ah
illustrations by 허구, Heo-Gu

cover of the Korean illustration of “How I Got My Shrunken Head” featuring a blue face with curly black hair, wide eyes, and a gaping mouth from where spirits are pouring

The fifth Goosebumps book to be translated into Korean is book number thirty-nine in the original franchise, “How I Got My Shrunken Head.” It is “악령을 부르는 머리” (The Head That Calls Evil Spirits) in Korean.

It might seem like we skipped a bunch of books to go from translating book number nine to thirty-nine back-to-back, but “How I Got My Shrunken Head” was originally published in English in 1996 and translated and published into Korean in 2014. By that time, the publisher really had their pick from all of the original 62 books and several of the spin-offs.

Several people have remarked on how creepy this cover art is. To be honest, I was super excited to research this illustrator because their work has stood out to me while I’ve been flipping through all of the books.

Sadly, their name, 허구, translates to “fiction” and it seems fitting–I can’t find any of their social media. I did find a page of some of their children’s books illustrations and you can view it here.

interior illustration of a human hand covered in red marks that look like bugs. It features a bunch of colors from green to blue to yellow and red and while I can’t remember what it’s depicting from the story, it’s a beautiful illustration

This the fourth Goosebumps book translated by Jo Keong-ah.

Sadly, I don’t own a copy of Goosebumps #6, The Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb (미라의 저주, “Curse of the Mummy”).

Goosebumps #7: The Werewolf of Fever Swamp (늑대인간의 울음소리, “The Cry of the Werewolf”)

written by R.L. Stine
translated by 고정아, Ko Jeong-ah
illustrations by 허구, Heo-Gu

cover of the Korean translation of “The Werewolf of Fever Swamp,” featuring a scary looking werewolf howling in front of a full moon

The seventh Goosebumps book to be translated into Korean is book number fourteen in the original franchise, “The Werewolf of Fever Swamp.” It is “늑대인간의 울음소리” (The Cry of the Werewolf) in Korean.

The illustrator, 허구, Heo-Gu (who illustrated “How I Got My Shrunken Head” previously) went heavy on the blues and grays in the interior illustrations. As always, they are beautiful and somehow both soft and scary simultaneously.

interior illustration that features a person running along the edge of a forest with a full moon peeking from behind the trees

This is another Goosebumps book translated by Jo Keong-ah.

Is there a Goosebumps book you’re looking forward to seeing the Korean cover art for?

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