The purpose of this study was to examine the meaning of forests in Korean traditional fairy tales as one of spatial backdrops. 20 traditional fairy tales in which forests appeared were analyzed, and there were largely five spatial meanings in forests: a forest of life, a forest of communication, a forest of freshness, a forest of emotion and a forest of living. To be specific, a forest of life was a space that was miraculous, divine and full of dynamic energy, and that was a space that existed for health, healing and growth. A forest of communication was a space in which particular incidents or conflicts were brought to a settlement or resolved, and that was a space for new relationship building at the same time. A forest of freshness was a space that showed another world and magic stories and was the starting point of new stories. A forest of emotion was a space that evoked laugh, wit and humor, triggered tension and was characterized by love and devotion. Finally, a forest of living was a space of daily life where one could be free, laid-back, get some rest, share his or her life with others and lead a beautiful life. In terms of each type of forest's frequency, forests of freshness that showed magic stories were most dominant, followed by forests of emotion that triggered tension. As a result of investigating the spatial meaning of forests, educational elements were mostly found in the spatial meaning of forests, which indicated that forests are significant spaces of education.