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A mudang performing a kut ritual in Seoul, South Korea.

Korean shamanism, or musok (무속; 巫俗), is one of the oldest religions in Korea, and still survives to this day.[1] Practitioners of Korean shamanism are usually female, though male shamans do exist as well.[2] Korean shamans of either gender can be called mudang or mansin, while paksu is a term only for a male shaman.[2] The two main ways one becomes a shaman are either hereditarily, or by suffering through mubyŏng ("spirit possession sickness").[3][4] The main role of the mudang is to perform rituals, or kut, to achieve various means, including healing, divination, and spirit pacification.[1][3] Simultaneously a religious affair and a visual and auditory spectacle, kut are full of bright colors, elaborate costumes, altars piled high with ritual food and alcohol, various forms of singing and dancing accompanied by traditional instruments, and props including fans, bells, and knives.[5] While the most well-known rituals are characterized by spirit possession, for most hereditary shamans, as well as in some regional variations, the shaman's role is to honor the spirits and deities rather than be possessed by them.[1][6]

Despite the social stigma surrounding the performance of a kut even today, there are still many clients who are willing, though potentially ashamed, to pay immense sums to enlist the help of a mansin when in need.[2]

Throughout South Korea’s political turmoil in the 20th century, musok stayed strong against systemic persecution.[7] Indeed, several festivals and kut have been preserved as intangible cultural heritage under the 1962 Cultural Heritage Protection Act, and the esteemed mudang Kim Keum-hwa was designated as a Living National Treasure in 1985.[7] In the 1970’s and 80’s, Korean shamanism was used as a form of protest against the government by the pro-democracy Popular Culture Movement. Whether willing to participate in political dissidence or not, under the movement’s minjung (“the people”) ideology, long-oppressed shamans were painted as the bearers of Korean culture who could also use their spirit-possession kut to give voice to those who had died for social justice causes.[7]

In recent times, Korean shamanism is evolving, with its growing popularity in media today, and the adaptability of its practitioners in a modernized world. Mudang have more control over their public image, now using documentaries and television along with personal websites to advertise and present their own stories.[3]


reworked: In recent times, musok has stayed strong against persecution, with several kut and mudang being designated as Intangible Heritage and Human Cultural Treasures respectively, with its use in the 1970s as a form of protest against the government by the pro-democracy Popular Culture Movement[7], its growing popularity in media today, and the adaptability of its practitioners in a modernized world. Mudang have more control over their public image, now using documentaries and television along with personal websites to advertise and present their own stories.[3]


original: ((The original religion of the Korean people was Shamanism, which though not as widespread as in ancient times, still survives to this day. Female shamans or mudang are often called upon to enlist the help of various spirits to achieve various means.))

  1. ^ a b c Koo, John H. (2004). An Introduction to Korean Culture. Hollym International Corporation. pp. 131–133. ISBN 978-1565912847.
  2. ^ a b c Kim, Chongho (2003). Korean Shamanism: The Cultural Paradox. Ashgate. p. 5. ISBN 978-1138710504.
  3. ^ a b c d Sarfati, Liora (2021-08-03), Contemporary Korean Shamanism: From Ritual to Digital, Indiana University Press, p. 7
  4. ^ Ch'oe, Kil-sŏng (1989). "The Symbolic Meaning of Shamanic Ritual in Korean Folk Life". Journal of Ritual Studies. 3 (2): 217–233. ISSN 0890-1112.
  5. ^ Kim Hogarth, Hyun-key (1999). Korean Shamanism and Cultural Nationalism. Jimoondang Publishing Company. pp. 149–171. ISBN 978-8988095140.
  6. ^ Ch'oe, Kil-sŏng (1989). "The Symbolic Meaning of Shamanic Ritual in Korean Folk Life". Journal of Ritual Studies. 3 (2): 224. ISSN 0890-1112.
  7. ^ a b c d Kendall, Laurel (2009). Shamans, nostalgias, and the IMF: South Korean popular religion in motion. Honolulu: Univ. of Hawaii Press. p. 19. ISBN 978-0-8248-3398-5.
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