Berkley Center

When walking through the popular university areas of Seoul, you’ll see the streets lined with coffee shops, bars, and fortune tellers. Korea is one of the world’s leading nations both politically and economically; I hadn’t imagined the extent to which spirituality pervades daily life. As it turns out, Korea is a fairly superstitious society, with these superstitions having their roots in a variety of traditions. One of these traditions, the tradition in which these fortune tellers are based, is Korean Shamanism.

When discussing religion in Korea, pan-Asiatic traditions like Confucianism and Buddhism get the most attention. However, less well-known abroad are Korea’s native religions. To find out more about this intriguing tradition, I spoke with Professor David Mason, who has been living and teaching in Korea for the past 30 years. Korean Shamanism, also called Mu-ism, predates exposure to pan-Asiatic traditions in the Korean peninsula. Shamanism even predates Korean society, having come into the peninsula with the first humans. Based in the belief in a world inhabited by spirits, Shamanism attempts to communicate with this other realm to create peace and prosperity in this world. Shamans, called mudang, serve as mediums through which humans can contact otherworldly spirits. Korean Shamanism is largely concerned with wordly issues and maximizing material gains in this life through utilizing the wisdom of the spirits.

Shamanism has had a turbulent history, persevering as other philosophies rose and fell from prominence in the peninsula. For more than 500 years, Shamanism was suppressed and devalued. Shamanism was almost completely wiped out in the atheist North Korea and outlawed in the South basically until the 1990s. In recent years, Korea has been embracing its unique history and identity, including Shamanism. Koreans have reclaimed Shamanism as an essential aspect of Korea’s historical culture, naming many aspects of Shamanism “Important Intangible Cultural Properties.” One way Shamanism has maintained its presence is through integration with Buddhism. Buddhism recognizes Shamanism as an existent religion, and Shaman shrines can be found outside of most Buddhist temples in Korea.

After talking with several of my Korean friends, I learned that in modern Korea, Shamanism plays more of a role as cultural tradition than as a strict religious practice. Aspects of religion are still present in the many Shamanist shrines found throughout Korea and thousands of practicing shamans. Most Koreans hire shamans for practical and superstitious reasons. Shamans serve a variety of functions, including fortune telling, performing exorcisms, and acting as mediums for people to talk to the deceased. Shamans are consulted in financial and marital decisions, as well as for performing ceremonies for someone buying a new car or opening a new business. In these ceremonies, shamans communicate with the spiritual world to find out the future and to rid the space of bad spirits. Aside from official services provided by shamans, common superstitions are rooted in Shamanistic beliefs. For example, flipping over a fish while eating is bad luck because the action represents sinking ships. Fortune telling is a way for shamans to employ their skills on an everyday basis. Korean youth use fortune telling as a fun activity to forecast their love lives, and shamans have embraced this curious, carefree attitude in university areas.

Shamanism has had a long and dynamic history in Korea. Today this tradition is embraced as an important facet of Korean culture and utilized in both major and minor life decisions. I hope to further experience this unique practice while I am in Seoul this semester.