Owls used to be called 'Myoduyong(猫頭應)', which means a hawk with a cat's head.

It feels scary at night because the size of the pupil changes according to the light, like a cat's eyes.

During the Joseon Dynasty, there were many kings who were especially afraid of owls.

When an owl appeared at Gyeongbokgung Palace at night, Taejo Lee Seong-gye moved his residence (September 10, the 7th year of King Taejo's reign)

There is also a record that on August 21, the 2nd year of King Jeongjong's reign, when an owl cried at night, fourteen monks were called to read "Geumganggyeong(Buddhist scriptures)."

The king of Joseon was in a position where he had no choice but to listen to someone's resentment and make the decision to take someone's life whether he liked it or not. The king must have been afraid and anxious to see an owl flying through the palace because it was considered a bird flying with someone's curse.