VOA文化艺术2024--South Korea's Ancient Tradition Revived with Social Media

South Korea's Ancient Tradition Revived with Social Media

In 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 Buddha¹ and local gods, candles, and incense².

The 29-year-old shaman may use traditional prayer objects, but Lee reaches her followers⁴ in a modern way: through social media. Hundreds of thousands of people follow her online.

And she's not alone. Since starting her YouTube channel in 2019, she has noticed more South Korean shamans posting videos about the spiritual practice.

Researcher 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.

Popularity of shamanism

South Korea is among the world's most modern and high-tech⁵ economies. More than half its population of 51 million does not practice a religion, research shows. However, the appeal of shamanism remains⁶ popular and seems to be growing.

Google 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.

A 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.

Relief from money worries

Shamans 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.

Park Chea-bin is a 33-year-old Buddhist⁷. 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.

Park 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."

She found a job at about the same time as her visit with the shaman.

Shaman 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.

In 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.

Han Seung-hoon is an assistant professor at the Academy of Korean Studies, a research center under the Ministry⁸ 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.

Roots of shamanism

In 2022, a culture ministry agency estimated that there were between 300,000 and 400,000 shamans and fortune-tellers in South Korea.

The agency website calls shamanism an "important and powerful" part of Korean tradition. Its roots date back at least 2,000 years, said Han.

Religious differences

Han also noted⁹ that larger religions such as Christianity and Buddhism¹⁰ make up about 40 percent of South Korea's population. He added that they are more influential¹¹ in society and do not receive similar criticism.

However, Lee said that Christians¹² also visit shamans in South Korea. "Even...churchgoers want to have their bad dreams read," she said.

Stigma¹³ attached to shamanism

"People used to hide that they live as a (shaman). There was a lot of stigma," said 51-year-old Eunmi Pang¹⁴. 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.

The 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.

More 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' imprisonment¹⁵ in February. A court had found him guilty of cheating a follower³ out of $200,000.

Some people in South Korea's influential communities have links to shamans.

Min 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 accusations¹⁶ 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.

A 2022 report in the journal BMC Psychiatry¹⁷ noted a "huge" space between South Koreans needing mental health treatment and getting it. The report partly blamed this on stigma.

"People have stigmatized¹⁸ 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.

Words in This Story

shaman - n. a priest or priestess who uses magic for the purpose of curing the sick, divining the hidden, and controlling events

fortune-telling - n. the act of foretell¹⁹ future events and especially the details of a person's future

anxious - adj. afraid or nervous about what may happen

relaxed - adj. set or being at rest or at ease

focus - n. a center of activity, attraction, or attention

factor - n. something that contributes to the production of a result

stigma - n. a set of negative and unfair beliefs that a society or group of people have about something

entertainment - n. amusement or diversion provided especially by performers

reputation - n. overall quality or character as seen or judged by people in general

1 Buddha   

n.佛；佛像；佛陀

参考例句：

• Several women knelt down before the statue of Buddha and prayed.几个妇女跪在佛像前祈祷。
• He has kept the figure of Buddha for luck.为了图吉利他一直保存着这尊佛像。

2 incense   

v.激怒；n.香，焚香时的烟，香气

参考例句：

• This proposal will incense conservation campaigners.这项提议会激怒环保人士。
• In summer,they usually burn some coil incense to keep away the mosquitoes.夏天他们通常点香驱蚊。

3 follower   

n.跟随者；随员；门徒；信徒

参考例句：

• He is a faithful follower of his home football team.他是他家乡足球队的忠实拥护者。
• Alexander is a pious follower of the faith.亚历山大是个虔诚的信徒。

4 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

5 high-tech   

adj.高科技的

参考例句：

• The economy is in the upswing which makes high-tech services in more demand too.经济在蓬勃发展，这就使对高科技服务的需求量也在加大。
• The quest of a cure for disease with high-tech has never ceased. 人们希望运用高科技治疗疾病的追求从未停止过。

6 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

7 Buddhist   

adj./n.佛教的，佛教徒

参考例句：

• The old lady fell down in adoration before Buddhist images.那老太太在佛像面前顶礼膜拜。
• In the eye of the Buddhist,every worldly affair is vain.在佛教徒的眼里，人世上一切事情都是空的。

8 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

9 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

10 Buddhism   

n.佛教（教义）

参考例句：

• Buddhism was introduced into China about 67 AD.佛教是在公元67年左右传入中国的。
• Many people willingly converted to Buddhism.很多人情愿皈依佛教。

11 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

12 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

13 stigma   

n.耻辱，污名；(花的)柱头

参考例句：

• Being an unmarried mother used to carry a social stigma.做未婚母亲在社会上曾是不光彩的事。
• The stigma of losing weighed heavily on the team.失败的耻辱让整个队伍压力沉重。

14 pang   

n.剧痛，悲痛，苦闷

参考例句：

• She experienced a sharp pang of disappointment.她经历了失望的巨大痛苦。
• She was beginning to know the pang of disappointed love.她开始尝到了失恋的痛苦。

15 imprisonment   

n.关押，监禁，坐牢

参考例句：

• His sentence was commuted from death to life imprisonment.他的判决由死刑减为无期徒刑。
• He was sentenced to one year's imprisonment for committing bigamy.他因为犯重婚罪被判入狱一年。

16 accusations   

n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名

参考例句：

• There were accusations of plagiarism. 曾有过关于剽窃的指控。
• He remained unruffled by their accusations. 对于他们的指控他处之泰然。

17 psychiatry   

n.精神病学，精神病疗法

参考例句：

• The study appeared in the Amercian science Journal of Psychiatry.这个研究发表在美国精神病学的杂志上。
• A physician is someone who specializes in psychiatry.精神病专家是专门从事精神病治疗的人。

18 stigmatized   

v.使受耻辱，指责，污辱( stigmatize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was stigmatized as an ex-convict. 他遭人污辱，说他给判过刑。 来自辞典例句
• Such a view has been stigmatized as mechanical jurisprudence. 蔑称这种观点为机械法学。 来自辞典例句

19 foretell   

v.预言，预告，预示

参考例句：

• Willow trees breaking out into buds foretell the coming of spring.柳枝绽青报春来。
• The outcome of the war is hard to foretell.战争胜负难以预卜。