The tiger (호랑이, horangi) holds a uniquely protective place in Korean folk symbolism — it's the country's de facto national animal, and traditional folk paintings (민화) often show a tiger paired with a magpie specifically to ward off evil and bad luck from a household. That protective role carries directly into how the dream is read.
Being protected by, or riding, a tiger is read as gaining real authority or protection — a powerful ally or a position of genuine strength, rather than fortune arriving passively. This is one of the more empowering animal dreams available in this tradition, distinct from wealth-symbols like the pig or ox in that it's specifically about status and safety.
A tiger attacking you, by contrast, is read as a powerful rival or a serious threat — the same strength that protects you elsewhere in the tradition becomes dangerous once it's turned against you. Seeing a tiger at a calm distance in the mountains is read more mildly, as a strong authority figure or influence nearby that isn't currently focused on you either way.
A tiger cub is read with real warmth, echoing the taemong tradition directly — a promising, powerful child or the early stage of something destined to grow into real strength. As with the taemong article elsewhere on this site, this reading has real gendered history behind it, though it's read today mostly as strength and promise regardless of gender.