This study analyzes the Korean folktale The Tiger and the Dried Persimmon through Paul Ricoeur’s hermeneutic theory, focusing on the concepts of triple mimesis (Mimesis I–II–III) and narrative identity. While the tale is typically viewed as a humorous anecdote centered on misunderstanding, this paper argues that its narrative structure reveals deeper processes through which fear, misinterpretation, and imagination reshape both meaning and subjectivity. By applying Ricoeur’s framework, the study reframes the tale not simply as comic folklore but as a narrative that generates a transformation of emotion and self-understanding. The study first situates the tale within its cultural and narrative context, noting that the tiger traditionally functions in Korean folklore as an “absolute agent of fear.” At the level of Mimesis I, the cultural code that equates the tiger with fear is disrupted when the child immediately stops crying at the mention of the dried persimmon. This moment fractures the symbolic order and opens a space for a new configuration of meaning. At the level of Mimesis II, the plot develops through a chain of escalating misunderstandings involving the crying child, the tiger’s alliance with the bear, and the mistaken assumptions made at the marketplace. These accumulated misreadings transfer meaning onto the signifier “dried persimmon,” forming what Ricoeur calls a “discordant concordance”—a narrative unity created out of irrational perceptions and repeated misinterpretations. In the stage of Mimesis III, the audience reconfigures both fear and meaning through laughter. The tiger’s transformation—from a fearsome predator into a creature terrified of a simple persimmon—enables the listener to experience a shift in emotional orientation and self-understanding. Humor becomes a hermeneutic event that reveals the constructed nature of fear and identity, demonstrating how narrative can transform perception of the world and of oneself. Through this Ricoeurian analysis, the study shows that the tale functions not merely as folklore but as a narrative device that integrates utterance, misunderstanding, imagination, and reception. The findings highlight the tale’s value as a site of hermeneutic reflection, suggesting that similar folktales across East Asia may also embody comparable narrative movements from fear to humor. This approach contributes to broader discussions of narrative identity, emotion, and the interpretive processes of oral storytelling traditions.