The kumiho sends the yeowoo guseul into people's mouths and then retakes it with their tongues. The method of absorbing energy with the "yeowoo guseul" resembles a "deep kiss" (i.e. The kumiho can absorb humans' energy with it. According to Korean mythology, the yeowoo guseul provides power to the kumiho and knowledge (and intelligence) to people if they can steal and swallow one.
The most distinctive feature that separates the kumiho from its two counterparts (Japanese kitsune, and Chinese huli jing) is the existence of a 'yeowoo guseul' (여우구슬, literally meaning fox marble/bead) which is said to consist of knowledge. Taiping Guangji claims Silla worshipped foxes as sacred beings. Nevertheless, foxes often contained a negative image during the Koryo Dynasty ( Shin Don was described as an old fox spirit due to his love for women and drinks despite his being a buddhist monk), suggesting two different views could have co-existed in ancient Korea. Considering the text is thought to be written in 1675, some speculate that the modern violent image of kumiho is influenced during the Japanese occupation in Korea. However, according to Gyuwon Sahwa, kumiho is described as an auspicious fox spirit with a book in its mouth. The fairy tale The Fox Sister depicts a fox spirit preying on a family for their livers. In later literature, kumiho were often depicted as bloodthirsty half-fox, half-human creatures that wandered cemeteries at night, digging human hearts out from graves. It is unclear at which point in time Koreans began viewing the kumiho as a purely evil creature, since many ancient texts mention the benevolent kumiho assisting humans (and even make mentions of wicked humans tricking kind but naïve kumiho). However, while China's huli jing and Japan's kitsune are often depicted with ambiguous moral compasses, possibly good or bad, the kumiho is almost always treated as a malignant figure who feasts on human flesh. All explain fox spirits as being the result of great longevity or the accumulation of energy, said to be foxes who have lived for a thousand years, and give them the power of shapeshifting, usually appearing in the guise of a woman. Kumiho and other versions of the nine-tailed fox myths and folklores share similar concept.
The old Chinese text Classic of Mountains and Seas mentioned that the fox with nine tails were present in Qingqiu (靑丘), the term used to refer the countries east to China and later specifically Korea.
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