According to the recently published Korean Research, the Public Opinion News revealed that “41% of Koreans answered that they had visited a tarot shop or fortune-teller house at least once.”

Many Korean superstitions are passed down from generation to generation and are not all scientifically proven, but many still believe them to this day.

E-Daily news reported, “More than half of Koreans had followed or believed in superstitions for no reason.”

Believing in tarot and superstition is a way to seek comfort and the only way to find courage when they have no place to seek advice and are psychologically anxious.

Although advancements in technology and science have proven that many of these superstitions are not true, many people still choose to believe in superstitions.

Whether people truly believe in superstitions or not, the myths still have a lot of influence on Korean traditions and culture.

While people have different opinions about superstitions, it is true that they have a lot of influence on people’s daily lives.

So where did all these superstitions begin?

A religion called ‘Shamanism’, dated back to the Paleolithic era, greatly influenced the formation of superstitions in South Korea .

Shamanism is a religion where members worship natural spirits, honor ghosts and interact with their ancestors.

Shamans are the bridge between the spirit and humans, and it was very important for Koreans to have connections with deceased ancestors because they believed they brought them fortune and misfortune.

In this case, people were afraid of receiving bad fortune, which is where the beliefs originated from.

People’s deep faith created superstitions.

One of the most popular superstitions in Korea was “We should not whistle at night”.

Joseon Dynasty people believed whistling was the way to call evil spirits at night, and many people still believe in this and say that whistling brings them fear.

It was created because people thought that the sound of ghosts was similar to the sound of whistles.

As time passed, the belief of superstitions changed in the modern way.

One such example is the belief that people should not eat seaweed soup on exam day, because the seaweed is slippery, and they will slip on the test, and fail.

Recently, sesame oil has been added as well as seaweed soup because it is also slippery.

On the other hand, people share taffy or sticky rice cakes to pass the test on the test day.

Many people sell sticky rice cakes at the school’s entrance on the morning of the exam, and they often eat rice cakes for breakfast.

This shows that many Koreans still hold a strong belief in superstitions.

Second, people should not cut their nails at night.

There is a legend that a rat ate the nails of a human and turned into the same appearance and personality as the person.

Some people call them monsters because they are imitating human life and taking people’s lives.

Korean superstitions have a direct influence on people’s daily life.

Many Korean superstitions have a direct influence on people’s daily lives, and when they do not follow those rules, many people feel uncomfortable.

People started to believe in superstitions because they were mentally unstable.

These showed people still care and are affected by superstitions even though they have not been proven by scientists.

Lucy Huh

Grade 12

Jones International Christian School