South Korea's Ancient Tradition Revived with Social Media
2024-06-24
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1In South Korea, the prayer table of Lee Kyoung-hyun looks similar to those of Korean shamans from hundreds of years ago.
2It has statues of Buddha and local gods, candles, and incense.
3The 29-year-old shaman may use traditional prayer objects, but Lee reaches her followers in a modern way: through social media.
4Hundreds of thousands of people follow her online.
5And she's not alone.
6Since starting her YouTube channel in 2019, she has noticed more South Korean shamans posting videos about the spiritual practice.
7Researcher Kim Dong-kyu is with the Academic Center for K-Religions at Sogang University, a private research university in Seoul.
8He said shamans used to publicize themselves in newspapers.
9He said it is "natural" for them to use social media.
10South Korea is among the world's most modern and high-tech economies.
11More than half its population of 51 million does not practice a religion, research shows.
12However, the appeal of shamanism remains popular and seems to be growing.
13Google Trends tracks popular searches on YouTube.
14It shows that searches for "shaman" and "fortune-telling" in Korean have nearly doubled over the past five years.
15A 2024 Korean film called Exhuma is about a shaman removing a curse on a family.
16The film has made at least $97 million dollars internationally and is raising interest in the religious tradition.
17The Korean Film Council says that one in five South Koreans has seen the film.
18Shamans are thought to have special powers, including the ability to know what will happen in the future.
19They offer followers relationship advice, guidance on job searches, and predictions, said Lee.
20Park Chea-bin is a 33-year-old Buddhist.
21In 2020, she visited Lee when she was struggling to find a job.
22She said she felt "peace of mind" after meeting with the shaman.
23Park said, "I was very anxious at the time but I became a little relaxed after deciding to let things go and focus on what I need to do."
24She found a job at about the same time as her visit with the shaman.
25Shaman Lee posts videos on subjects such as Korea's future for the rest of 2024.
26"The current state of South Korean society is a factor that can't be ignored," she said.
27She added that many people come to her with concerns about the costs of housing and raising children.
28In Seoul, where Lee works, the price of a home was more than 15 times the average wage in 2022.
29In 2017, a home in the Korean capital cost 8.8 times the average wage.
30These amounts come from a Korean government report.
31The country has also suffered from high inflation and interest rates.
32Han Seung-hoon is an assistant professor at the Academy of Korean Studies, a research center under the Ministry of Education.
33Han says that younger shamans who live in the city connect well with their younger followers.
34These people are facing economic difficulties and are looking for help.
35In 2022, a culture ministry agency estimated that there were between 300,000 and 400,000 shamans and fortune-tellers in South Korea.
36The agency website calls shamanism an "important and powerful" part of Korean tradition.
37Its roots date back at least 2,000 years, said Han.
38Han also noted that larger religions such as Christianity and Buddhism make up about 40 percent of South Korea's population.
39He added that they are more influential in society and do not receive similar criticism.
40However, Lee said that Christians also visit shamans in South Korea.
41"Even...churchgoers want to have their bad dreams read," she said.
42"People used to hide that they live as a (shaman). There was a lot of stigma," said 51-year-old Eunmi Pang.
43She has been a shaman for almost 20 years.
44She said that modern shamans are more willing to publicize themselves than those of the past.
45The activities, or practices, of shamans may involve ringing bells and throwing rice.
46They may also sing and dance.
47Many worship local gods such as the Mountain God, Great Spirit Grandmother, and Dragon King.
48More recently, some shamans have found themselves in legal trouble.
49Local media in Seoul reported that a 66-year-old shaman was sentenced to four years' imprisonment in February.
50A court had found him guilty of cheating a follower out of $200,000.
51Some people in South Korea's influential communities have links to shamans.
52Min Hee-jin is a top entertainment industry leader with a major K-pop music company.
53In April, she defended herself in a press conference against accusations that she used a shaman for business purposes.
54Min said she simply talked with a shaman to feel better: "Don't you guys all do that too?" she asked reporters.
55A 2022 report in the journal BMC Psychiatry noted a "huge" space between South Koreans needing mental health treatment and getting it.
56The report partly blamed this on stigma.
57"People have stigmatized shamanism as something dirty, suspicious, and scary," said Han, the assistant professor at the Academy of Korean Studies.
58He added that people were sometimes accused of visiting shamans in attempts to hurt their reputation.
59I'm Anna Matteo.
1In South Korea, the prayer table of Lee Kyoung-hyun looks similar to those of Korean shamans from hundreds of years ago. It has statues of Buddha and local gods, candles, and incense. 2The 29-year-old shaman may use traditional prayer objects, but Lee reaches her followers in a modern way: through social media. Hundreds of thousands of people follow her online. 3And she's not alone. Since starting her YouTube channel in 2019, she has noticed more South Korean shamans posting videos about the spiritual practice. 4Researcher Kim Dong-kyu is with the Academic Center for K-Religions at Sogang University, a private research university in Seoul. He said shamans used to publicize themselves in newspapers. He said it is "natural" for them to use social media. 5Popularity of shamanism 6South Korea is among the world's most modern and high-tech economies. More than half its population of 51 million does not practice a religion, research shows. However, the appeal of shamanism remains popular and seems to be growing. 7Google Trends tracks popular searches on YouTube. It shows that searches for "shaman" and "fortune-telling" in Korean have nearly doubled over the past five years. 8A 2024 Korean film called Exhuma is about a shaman removing a curse on a family. The film has made at least $97 million dollars internationally and is raising interest in the religious tradition. The Korean Film Council says that one in five South Koreans has seen the film. 9Relief from money worries 10Shamans are thought to have special powers, including the ability to know what will happen in the future. They offer followers relationship advice, guidance on job searches, and predictions, said Lee. 11Park Chea-bin is a 33-year-old Buddhist. In 2020, she visited Lee when she was struggling to find a job. She said she felt "peace of mind" after meeting with the shaman. 12Park said, "I was very anxious at the time but I became a little relaxed after deciding to let things go and focus on what I need to do." 13She found a job at about the same time as her visit with the shaman. 14Shaman Lee posts videos on subjects such as Korea's future for the rest of 2024. "The current state of South Korean society is a factor that can't be ignored," she said. She added that many people come to her with concerns about the costs of housing and raising children. 15In Seoul, where Lee works, the price of a home was more than 15 times the average wage in 2022. In 2017, a home in the Korean capital cost 8.8 times the average wage. These amounts come from a Korean government report. The country has also suffered from high inflation and interest rates. 16Han Seung-hoon is an assistant professor at the Academy of Korean Studies, a research center under the Ministry of Education. Han says that younger shamans who live in the city connect well with their younger followers. These people are facing economic difficulties and are looking for help. 17Roots of shamanism 18In 2022, a culture ministry agency estimated that there were between 300,000 and 400,000 shamans and fortune-tellers in South Korea. 19The agency website calls shamanism an "important and powerful" part of Korean tradition. Its roots date back at least 2,000 years, said Han. 20Religious differences 21Han also noted that larger religions such as Christianity and Buddhism make up about 40 percent of South Korea's population. He added that they are more influential in society and do not receive similar criticism. 22However, Lee said that Christians also visit shamans in South Korea. "Even...churchgoers want to have their bad dreams read," she said. 23Stigma attached to shamanism 24"People used to hide that they live as a (shaman). There was a lot of stigma," said 51-year-old Eunmi Pang. She has been a shaman for almost 20 years. She said that modern shamans are more willing to publicize themselves than those of the past. 25The activities, or practices, of shamans may involve ringing bells and throwing rice. They may also sing and dance. Many worship local gods such as the Mountain God, Great Spirit Grandmother, and Dragon King. 26More recently, some shamans have found themselves in legal trouble. Local media in Seoul reported that a 66-year-old shaman was sentenced to four years' imprisonment in February. A court had found him guilty of cheating a follower out of $200,000. 27Some people in South Korea's influential communities have links to shamans. 28Min Hee-jin is a top entertainment industry leader with a major K-pop music company. In April, she defended herself in a press conference against accusations that she used a shaman for business purposes. Min said she simply talked with a shaman to feel better: "Don't you guys all do that too?" she asked reporters. 29A 2022 report in the journal BMC Psychiatry noted a "huge" space between South Koreans needing mental health treatment and getting it. The report partly blamed this on stigma. 30"People have stigmatized shamanism as something dirty, suspicious, and scary," said Han, the assistant professor at the Academy of Korean Studies. He added that people were sometimes accused of visiting shamans in attempts to hurt their reputation. 31I'm Anna Matteo. 32For Reuters News Agency, Hyunsu Yim and Daewoung Kim reported this story from Seoul, Korea. Anna Matteo adapted it for VOA Learning English. 33We want to hear from you. Our comment policy is here. 34________________________________________________ 35Words in This Story 36shaman - n. a priest or priestess who uses magic for the purpose of curing the sick, divining the hidden, and controlling events 37fortune-telling - n. the act of foretell future events and especially the details of a person's future 38anxious - adj. afraid or nervous about what may happen 39relaxed - adj. set or being at rest or at ease 40focus - n. a center of activity, attraction, or attention 41factor - n. something that contributes to the production of a result 42stigma - n. a set of negative and unfair beliefs that a society or group of people have about something 43entertainment - n. amusement or diversion provided especially by performers 44reputation - n. overall quality or character as seen or judged by people in general