As Halloween approaches, stories of ghosts and demons fill the air.
In Korea, fear has long been intertwined with beauty, belief, and ritual. Rather than simple fright, the Korean way of facing the unseen is through care — through cleansing, protection, and ceremony. From ancient shamanic rites to modern cinema, the language of spirits continues to echo in quiet, powerful ways.
Spirits and Shamans — The Roots of Korean Exorcism
Korean shamanism, known as Muism (무속), is one of the oldest living spiritual traditions in East Asia.
For centuries, mudang (무당) — often women — have served as mediators between the human and the spirit world, performing gut (굿) rituals to heal, bless, or banish misfortune.
These ceremonies take place in sacred sites like saji (사지) or sanshin-dang (산신당), shrines dedicated to earth and mountain spirits. Through rhythmic drumming, chanting, and dance, shamans call upon the divine to restore balance between the visible and invisible.
Even today, fragments of these beliefs remain deeply woven into daily life. The bujeok (부적), a red-ink talisman placed above doors or carried in wallets, continues to guard against bad luck. What was once a religious act has become part of Korean visual culture — a form of art that protects as much as it decorates.
Everyday Superstitions and Rituals of Protection
In Korea, superstition isn’t merely a relic of the past — it’s a gentle ritual that continues to live in everyday life. Small gestures, passed down quietly through generations, are believed to cleanse space and protect the body from unseen forces.
When bad energy is felt, people often place small bowls of salt by doorways to absorb negativity and restore balance to the home. But there’s also a more direct custom — when someone seems to carry misfortune or a dark presence, others may sprinkle salt toward them to drive away evil spirits.
The act is both physical and symbolic, rooted in the belief that salt — pure, white, and incorruptible — can absorb what words or prayers cannot.
Other familiar beliefs remain: avoiding the number 4, believing a magpie’s call brings good news, while a crow’s cry may foretell bad luck or misfortune, and never writing someone’s name in red ink — since red was once used to mark the names of the dead.
Each of these customs reflects a quiet awareness of life, death, and the delicate balance between the visible and the unseen.
Modern Echoes — Exorcism and Spirits in Korean Media
The world of spirits has found new life in film, drama, and animation — blending ancient symbols with contemporary fears. Below are a few modern works that explore this intersection between faith, horror, and culture.
Exhuma (2024)
A haunting modern tale about ancestral curses and shamanic rituals. When a wealthy family hires a team of shamans and exorcists to relocate an ancestral grave, they uncover a spiritual disturbance buried beneath generations of silence. Rich in ritual detail and cinematic tension, Exhuma bridges Korea’s traditional shamanism and modern horror.
Where to watch: Viki
The Guest (2018)
A shaman, a priest, and a detective unite to confront malevolent spirits haunting Seoul.
Drawing from gut rituals, talismans, and ancestral rites, this series reveals how different faiths collide in the face of evil.
Where to watch: Apple TV
Revenant (2023)
Rather than focusing on ghosts, Revenant explores how evil can inhabit the human heart.
Through a mix of shamanic ritual and psychological mystery, the series redefines Korean horror with emotional subtlety.
Where to watch: Hulu
Memento Mori (1999)
A landmark in Korean horror, weaving grief, friendship, and the supernatural inside a girls’ high school. More sorrowful than terrifying, Memento Mori turned the ghost into a metaphor for memory, longing, and the silenced voices of women.
Where to watch: Shudder
K-POP Demon Hunters (2025)
This animated Netflix series brings the world of Korean demons and spirits into pop culture. Following K-pop idols who secretly fight evil forces, it blends folklore and fantasy with high-energy visuals.
Where to watch: Netflix
4. Talismanic Beauty — Objects that Protect and Purify
In Korean tradition, protection and beauty have always coexisted. Objects that guard against misfortune — salt, charms, tigers, magpies, and etc — speak to a culture where care is not abstract but tangible. Each one is a quiet guardian, a reminder that protection can be as graceful as it is powerful.
Salt
In Korean tradition, salt symbolizes purification and protection. When misfortune or bad energy is sensed, people may throw salt toward the person or leave small heaps by the doorway or in the corners of a room. It’s believed that the salt absorbs negativity and restores harmony to the space.
Interestingly, salt carries a similar meaning in Western folklore. In old European superstition, spilling salt was thought to bring bad luck — but throwing a pinch of it over your left shoulder would ward off the devil said to be waiting behind you. Across cultures, salt remains a quiet symbol of cleansing and protection.
Bujeok (Talisman)
Paper charms inscribed with red ink — sacred drawings of protection. They are placed above doorways or kept inside wallets to block disaster and invite good fortune. The red color symbolizes life, energy, and divine strength.
Tiger
A guardian spirit that chases away evil and protects the household. Though often drawn playfully in folk paintings, the tiger was once revered as a divine mountain spirit — courageous, spiritual, and deeply protective.
Magpie
A messenger of joy and good news. The call of a magpie once signaled the arrival of welcome guests. Paintings featuring both tigers and magpies symbolized harmony between protection and happiness.
Bokjumeoni/Durujumeoni (Lucky Pouch)
A traditional silk pouch believed to ward off evil and invite good fortune. Because hanbok had no pockets, the Duru-jumeoni served both a practical and symbolic purpose — a charm of protection and prosperity. Given as New Year or holiday gifts, each pouch carried grains like rice, sesame, or red beans — symbols of abundance and care for the year ahead.
Spooky, in a Korean Way
Halloween traces back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain.
The Celts believed that on October 31st, the boundary between the living and the dead grew thin — a night when spirits returned to the human world. People dressed as ghosts and prepared food to appease or ward off wandering souls.
Today, Halloween has become a global celebration — filled with costumes, lights, and parties across cities, including in Korea. But beyond the fun and festivity, this season also invites reflection on how Korean shamanism, folklore, and the idea of care through protection have long shaped the way we face what we fear.
This Halloween, may you enjoy the parties, discover the beauty of Korea’s ghostly traditions,
and spend the night with a few spooky Korean horror films :)
Happy Halloween!🎃