Don't call Choi Soon-sil a shaman, it's disgrace to shamans

By Choi Ha-young

The nation's shamans are up in arms against Choi Soon-sil being called a shaman, saying it spreads negative perceptions about shamanism, one of Korea's oldest folk traditions.

Choi, a shady advisor for President Park Geun-hye, is often dubbed a shaman in media reports for her religious family background. Choi's father Choi Tae-min (1912-1994) founded his own church in the 1970s, borrowing from the beliefs and practices of older religions.

The shaman community has denounced the media for calling her a shaman.

"Calling Choi Soon-sil a shaman is a disgrace to shamans," said Lee Won-bok, head of Shaman Korea, an alliance of shamans here.

Yang Jong-sung, head of the Shamanism Museum in northwestern Seoul, said, "To be a shaman, that person should undergo training from a spiritual godmother and godfather. Neither Choi Soon-sil nor her father went through these steps. They just imitated some aspects of shamanism."

Observers have claimed that Choi is a shaman, or "mudang" in Korean, based on the colorful pockets she designed for Park's inauguration ceremony.

Yang, however, said that was not a shamanistic ritual. "Like babies wear colorful jeogori to cast out demons, it's just a part of Korean folk culture."

About the rumors the elder Choi entranced Park by claiming to communicate in dreams with her assassinated mother Yuk Young-soo, Lee said communication with spirits is not limited to shamanism.

"We are doing our best to filter out pseudo shamans," Lee said. "Please don't spoil folk culture with this political scandal."

The exact name of the church established by the late Choi Tae-min in the 1970s is unclear, but research shows it's more likely "Youngse-gyo" or Church of the Spirit World, rather than "Youngsaeng-gyo," another name used by the media.

An advert printed in the Daejeon Ilbo on May 13, 1973, called it "Youngse-gye." The ad invited people to Choi's temporary office in Daejeon, saying he could treat incurable diseases.

Cult expert Tark Ji-il, a professor at Busan Presbyterian University, said cultists oftentimes rely on political power to make up for their lack of legitimacy.

He said Choi's religion doesn't have believers. "I think he was a pseudo-exorcist," he told The Korea Times. "Based on my late father's research, Youngse-gyo's religious rituals were as simple as staring at a circle."

His father Tark Myoung-hwan was a cult expert killed by a cultist in 1994. The late Tark had met Choi multiple times, since the latter had claimed to be a shaman named Wonjakyung based in Daejeon.

President Park Geun-hye, center, who served as first lady for her father President Park Chung-hee, left, after her mother was assassinated, speaks to Choi Tae-min, her mentor and the father of Choi Soon-sil, at a hospital owned by Guguk (save-the-nation) missionary group, set up by the senior Choi, in 1976. / Korea Times file

Between exorcist and dictator

In 1975, Choi was ordained as a priest. However, he had never completed theology courses. He reportedly paid for the ordainment, which was prevalent then as one of the church's sources of income.

Choi is believed to have had spiritual abilities, according to people who used to communicate with him. Pastor Jeon Ki-young, 79, told the local Christian daily Kookmin Ilbo that Choi was expelled from the Christian community due to his heretical activities.

Jeon said Choi was more interested in political games, rather than learning Christian theory. Then-President Park Chung-hee, the father of President Park Geun-hye, selected Choi in an attempt to mobilize Christians to extend his authoritarian ruling. "Park Chung-hee kept his eyes on Christian organizations that led anti-government struggles. Choi accepted Park's directions and founded a pro-Park Christian organization," Jeon said.

That was the origin of the Guguk (Save the Nation) missionary group, established in 1975. Park Geun-hye, then acting as first lady after her mother's assassination, was honorary president of the group.

The missionary group's slogan was "anti-communism" and it carried out military training. It changed its name to the "Saemaeum" (new mindset) volunteer group one year later.

This is when Choi Soon-sil and Park Geun-hye started their relationship.

With the enormous funding power based on the Park Chung-hee regime, Choi attracted many famous Christian leaders. "Pastors were busy flattering Choi to build connections with the authoritarian regime," Jeon told Christian media CBS. KBS recently revealed a video of one of Choi's gatherings, in which Park made a speech.

Tark said Choi Soon-sil may have "spiritual or political" abilities, as Choi appointed his fifth daughter his successor. "Choi doesn't seem like a shaman or mudang," he said.

Local weekly magazine SisaIn reported that Choi and her daughter Chung Yoo-ra went to big churches regularly. Choi appears to have sought to make the most of the networking opportunities available at churches as head of the family business, seeking to accumulate personal wealth using Park's political influence.