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[00:00.14] Han Seung-hoon is an assistant professor at the Academy of Korean Studies, a research center under the Ministry of Education.

[00:11.91] Han says that younger shamans who live in the city connect well with their younger followers.

[00:20.93] These people are facing economic difficulties and are looking for help.

[00:27.69] In 2022, a culture ministry agency estimated that there were between 300,000 and 400,000 shamans and fortune-tellers in South Korea.

[00:43.22] The agency website calls shamanism an "important and powerful” part of Korean tradition.

[00:51.49] Its roots date back at least 2,000 years, said Han.

[00:57.75] Han also noted that larger religions such as Christianity and Buddhism make up about 40 percent of South Korea’s population.

[01:09.77] He added that they are more influential in society and do not receive similar criticism.

[01:19.31] However, Lee said that Christians also visit shamans in South Korea. "Even...churchgoers want to have their bad dreams read," she said.

[01:32.58] "People used to hide that they live as a (shaman).

[01:36.08] There was a lot of stigma," said 51-year-old Eunmi Pang.

[01:42.60] She has been a shaman for almost 20 years.

[01:47.86] She said that modern shamans are more willing to publicize themselves than those of the past.

[01:55.87] The activities, or practices, of shamans may involve ringing bells and throwing rice. They may also sing and dance.

[02:08.14] Many worship local gods such as the Mountain God, Great Spirit Grandmother, and Dragon King.

[02:17.66] More recently, some shamans have found themselves in legal trouble.

[02:24.43] Local media in Seoul reported that a 66-year-old shaman was sentenced to four years' imprisonment in February.

[02:35.45] A court had found him guilty of cheating a follower out of $200,000.

[02:43.71] Some people in South Korea's influential communities have links to shamans.

[02:51.48] Min Hee-jin is a top entertainment industry leader with a major K-pop music company.

[02:59.24] In April, she defended herself in a press conference against accusations that she used a shaman for business purposes.

[03:10.78] Min said she simply talked with a shaman to feel better: "Don’t you guys all do that too?" she asked reporters.

[03:22.80] A 2022 report in the journal BMC Psychiatry noted a "huge" space between South Koreans needing mental health treatment and getting it.

[03:35.58] The report partly blamed this on stigma.

[03:41.84] "People have stigmatized shamanism as something dirty, suspicious, and scary," said Han, the assistant professor at the Academy of Korean Studies.

[03:52.11] He added that people were sometimes accused of visiting shamans in attempts to hurt their reputation.