By Jon Huer
Korea Times Columnist
As one of its national character traits, Korea is awash with superstition. Native superstition is a common anthropological-sociological feature in tribal societies, and Korea ranks rather high on this score.
Indeed, Korea’s reliance on superstition is quite striking. In spite of its world-class advancement in technology and manufacturing, Korea’s propensity for the superstitious, the supernatural, or the primeval has few equals in the world, and among the advanced nations, none.
From setting wedding dates to naming a new-born, from starting a new business to making a movie, Koreans go through an elaborate ritual to appeal to the superstitious oracles, whether it be fortune-tellers, shamans, or diviners.
Few decisions are made without consulting one or another of the superstitious sources for guidance.
For a nation aspiring to join the ranks of advanced civilization, Korea is oddly reminiscent of extreme primitivism where gods of chance and luck exert powerful influence on human thoughts and actions.
A story goes around that during a tense moment one of Korea’s former presidents, then a general angling for ruling power, asked a Buddhist fortune- teller if he was cut out to be the President of Korea.
The diviner told him that he would indeed be the President if he would put the Buddha’s image in every household in Korea. Thereupon, the general ordered one of the coins to have a Buddha image engraved on it.
The general did become the President and every household in Korea indeed ended up having a Buddha image, as virtually every household contains the Buddha pennies.
The credibility of this story is unimportant, as it is undoubtedly believed by most Koreans as authentic and plausible. What is important is the glimpse into the Korean mind that this tale provides.
The extent of Korea’s belief in ancestor-worship, one of the prime features of superstition and different from memorializing the historical past, is indeed impressive.
Most Koreans set great store on the powers of their ancestors who bestow, or refuse to bestow, upon their descendants good as well as ill fortunes.
Many Koreans, both educated and uneducated, both rich and poor, both Christians and nonbelievers, go to great length to call on the good luck god.
For a technologically advanced nation, Korea’s practice of shamanism is startling as it recalls a basically Third Worldstyle primitive mental outlook.
Of course, every nation, even the most advanced, practices some elements of superstition, but Korea may comfortably belong with the most primitive of the world in superstitiousness.
Where other advanced nations may play superstition as a personal quirk or a light, momentary lapse of scientific rationality, Korea’s immersion into superstitious factors in life is quite deep and subconscious.
Korea’s faith in the mythical quality of certain natural elements that mysteriously restore their energy, or prolong their stamina, is a great derivative example of their superstitious practices. Koreans are known to be constantly on the lookout for something called “boyak,” literally “precious medicine” for health, energy or virility, mostly the latter.