Actor Kim Go-eun portrays a shaman performing a ritual to exorcise evil spirits in the film "Exhuma." Courtesy of Showbox

Korean shamanism, or "musok" in Korean, is experiencing a resurgence, even in an era of rapid technological advancements like artificial intelligence and space exploration. Popular films such as "Exhuma" and the frequent depiction of shamanistic themes in TV shows have helped to reduce negative perceptions and bring this ancient practice back into the spotlight.

What was once dismissed as mere superstition is now seen in a new light. For younger generations, consulting a shaman for spiritual readings has become a casual pastime, with some even calling for it to be recognized as a legitimate religion.

Experts point to the growing number of people identifying as non-religious as a key factor in the rise of shamanism. While musok doesn't fully replace organized religion, it is becoming a popular spiritual practice.

According to the 2023 Religious Landscape of Koreans survey by the Korea Pastoral Data Institute, the percentage of non-religious people has risen from 43 percent in 2004 to 63 percent in 2023.

This trend is especially strong among younger generations, with 85 percent of those aged 19-29 and 81 percent of those in their 30s identifying as non-religious.

Professor Seong Hae-young from Seoul National University said, "'traditional religions' roles in providing comfort and healing have been replaced by meditation and modern medicine, while norms and ethics are now governed by laws and systems. When traditional religions are strong, musok blends into them. But when their influence weakens, musok re-emerges."

A sharman performs a ritual in this file photo. Korea Times

Seeking comfort through fortune-telling

The growth in uncertainty concerning modern life has also amplified the appeal of shamanism. In a society where individuals are held solely responsible for decisions about education, careers, promotions and business ventures, many turn to divination for comfort.

Yeom Eun-young, head of the Divination Culture Research Institute, said, "In a winner-takes-all society, people fear becoming losers. This anxiety, combined with increasing individualism, has turned divination into a thriving market."

Another factor is the personalized, one-on-one communication that shamanistic consultations offer, free from rigid doctrines.

Unlike organized religions, musok is non-hierarchical, with no set dogma, making it more approachable.

Kim Dong-kyu, a research professor at Sogang University's K-Religion Academic Expansion Research Center, said, "(Millennials and Gen Zers') interest in shamans stems from the freedom they offer, unlike traditional religions that monopolize truth. People turn to musok as a system for explaining strange events, and its interpretations often provide enough persuasion to relieve suffering."

Shaman content packaged with provocative thumbnails uploaded on YouTube / Captured from YouTube

Darker side of Sharmanism

However, as musok becomes more mainstream, its darker side has also surfaced. Cases of fraud, assault, sexual crimes and gaslighting by shamans have been on the rise.

One prevalent crime involves shamans convincing followers to pay exorbitant sums for rituals or prayers that promise to resolve their problems. Some victims are even pressured to take out loans or borrow from private lenders to fund these costly rituals.

As online fortune-telling gains popularity, the number of people falling victim to scams after believing manipulated content and seeking out shamans is also on the rise. The widespread use of YouTube has contributed to this increase in victims.

The Hankook Ilbo, a sister publication of The Korea Times, conducted an in-depth analysis of 320 court rulings from the past decade related to crimes involving shamanistic practices, using a large sample size to classify crime types for crime prevention purposes.

The most common offenses were loan and investment fraud (144 cases), manipulation through excessive prayer rituals and embezzlement (109 cases), sexual crimes (53 cases), failure to fulfill promises after receiving payment (41 cases) and assault (34 cases).

The average amount of financial damage per case was 260 million won, with gaslighting identified as a key tactic used by perpetrators. Half of the offenders received prison sentences, and over half of them had prior convictions.

Many victims of these crimes were found to be in vulnerable situations. The analysis revealed that victims often suffered from health issues, financial hardships or business problems, family conflicts, issues related to deceased family members or ghosts, and relationship or marriage troubles.

These issues impaired their ability to think rationally, allowing exploitative shamans to take advantage.

Im Myung-ho, a psychology professor at Dankook University, said, "Victims in mentally vulnerable states are easily swayed by irrational claims. If a shaman approaches claiming possession by a spirit, it's important to question whether it's a scam."

Professor Seong noted, "Shamanic predictions may be right or wrong, but shamans should at least provide ethical guidance to their followers. Any shaman making unreasonable demands should be viewed with caution."

An illustrative image showing a woman manipulated by a shaman / Korea times photo by Ha Sang-yoon

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.