Imagery
Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon
This creature is called a haetae, and is something like a cross between a unicorn and a lion. The single horn is usually depicted as a simple, stylized engraving on statuary (i.e., it doesn’t actually stick out of the head), and due to wear it is not visible at all here. The haetae is said to have the power to judge right and wrong, and will punish those in the wrong. It is also said to have the power to prevent fire and other disasters, and so is often seen at the entrance to important wooden structures, such as palaces and gates.