Ghost walk sheds light on Seoul's dark side

Joe McPherson speaks in front of Cheonggye Stream in downtown Seoul during The Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk, Nov. 19. Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar

By 8 p.m., the last rays of sunset have faded, leaving downtown Seoul quiet, peaceful … eerie. Rush hour has ended, and now that most of the office workers have found their way home, out come the ghosts, spirits and ghouls to play.

It’s at this time of night, on almost any day of the week, that Joe McPherson and Shawn Morrissey welcome guests to come out and experience The Dark Side of Seoul.

McPherson, who moved to Korea from the U.S. in 2004, founded The Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walks in 2012, aiming to share his passion for Korean history, peppered of course with stories of the supernatural.

“Seoul was one of the only major cities without any ghost tours or dark tours, so I felt there was untapped demand for one,” he told The Korea Times.

His fascination with Korean history began before he arrived in the country, way back in university when he took courses on Korea to earn his minor in history. But when he moved to Korea, he was disappointed with how Korea’s history was presented to foreigners.

“It made me sad when I’d hear foreigners dismiss Korea and its history as uninteresting because I know it’s rich, dramatic and violent,” he said.

“The history most tourists are given is sterilized and based on a school of history that was codified in the 1960s for political reasons. It may be the history some people want to present, but I believe it infantilizes visitors. It also exposes a lack of confidence in one’s own history and culture.”

Joe McPherson introduces Gwangtonggyo Bridge, which is made with stones from Queen Sindeok's tomb, during The Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk, Nov. 19. Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar

McPherson was already well-known in the foreign community, mainly as a food expert, running the website zenkimchi.com and also opening a few restaurants over the years. Having experience offering food tours (which he still does on weekdays), he finally felt ready to make the leap into ghost tours.

“Food and history are intertwined. Those were the two ways I interacted with Korean culture,” he said.

To prepare for running ghost walks, McPherson said he did thorough research using books, old maps, the internet and talking to historians.

“It took me a year of research before I felt brave enough to test the tour. With food tours, at least I’m supplying guests with food. On a ghost tour, I’m creating something out of the air.”

McPherson was joined by Morrissey in 2016 after Morrissey thought to start running his own ghost walk in Seoul. “Instead of competing, I reached out to Joe,” Morrissey, a Canadian with a background in heritage interpretation, said. “We met and chatted over a few beers, and I was on board. I decided to develop my own version of the tour, focusing more on folklore.”

Shawn Morrissey stands in front of Deoksu Palace's Daehanmun Gate in central Seoul during the Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk on Nov. 15. Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar

While McPherson’s tours focus more on dark chapters of history that unfolded at historic sites in Seoul, Morrissey’s focus is on ghost stories and urban legends. Rather than stating historic dates or sharing tales about past kings, he weaves in personal stories informed by his own experiences and the loved ones around him.

“The majority of the information on my tour comes from qualitative research I've conducted over the past nearly 20 years,” he said. “I've interviewed people directly and gathered folk traditions, lore, concepts, motifs, ideologies, etc., most often connected to what we'd generally refer to as supernatural.”

The experiences of some of the people on his tours have helped develop his stories as well. He shared that several self-proclaimed clairvoyants have joined his walks over the years, and many of them have reported their own supernatural encounters during and even afterward.

Shawn Morrissey visits Gyeonghui Palace in central Seoul during the Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk on Nov. 15. Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar

Both tours are unique and presented by two knowledgeable experts with very different approaches to their subject matter. It would be best not to choose between the two tours, but to do both.

Both McPherson and Morrissey are careful in how they present local beliefs in the supernatural, aiming to not misrepresent or belittle beliefs that are still held by many Koreans today.

“Personally, on the tours, I don't directly approach the subject of belief in the supernatural,” Morrissey said. “I say 'allegedly' and 'perhaps' a lot. I open my tours letting guests know that what we'll experience and discuss together is lore and legend. The tour is designed for entertainment, with education as a byproduct — which is how all tours should be designed.”

“I say that I suspend disbelief while I’m doing the tour,” McPherson added. “It makes it more fun. Though I did see one picture that had the shadow of a woman in a hanbok under a lamppost.”

The participants on most of The Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walks tend to be mostly visiting tourists, as McPherson emphasized that their marketing activities are rarely aimed inside Korea, and always use targeted international marketing. They’ve also made sure to keep it easy for visitors to find, join and pay for tours.

McPherson added that the tour has ruffled some feathers, particularly among government officials. “When I was developing the tour, some government officials discouraged me from doing it. They were afraid I’d make Korea look bad,” he said. “When we started gaining some traction, the government competed with us rather than supported us by creating their own dark tour, which I hear didn’t do well.”

Joe McPherson speaks in front of the Constitutional Court during The Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk, Nov. 19. Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar

The tour participants, on the other hand, almost always have an enjoyable time, and negative responses are rare. “Only one time have I had anyone upset on the tour itself,” McPherson said. “That just pushed me to verify, verify, verify everything I talk about.”

“We get little pokes now and again from people, mostly from those who misunderstand the tour, who we are and our aims in delivering it,” Morrissey added. “Ultimately, though, the response is very positive. I've recently done work with the National Folk Museum, so that kind of thing overshadows any minor derision.”

The number of tour participants has been blowing up. In 2019, they grew to 995 tour participants in one year. After two years of low numbers during the pandemic, during which the outdoor tours continued to operate by following social distancing regulations, they rebounded in 2022, seeing a record 1,463 guests. This year, McPherson and Morrissey have already given 2,255 people the Seoul ghost walk experience.

Part of the trick to their explosive growth has been their strategy for weathering the pandemic. They started doing a Dark Side of Seoul podcast in early 2020, sharing what makes the tours a unique experience with a wider audience online. McPherson said the weekly podcast has “pushed us to dive further into research to add more stories.”

They also introduced a Patreon-style crowdfunding service, enabling supporters to provide monthly donations in exchange for perks such as early access to podcasts.

Also that year, they released the first issue of a Dark Side of Seoul comic book, authored by Morrissey. Illustration for the first issue was done by Tim Bauer. The second issue, released in 2022, was illustrated by Park Ji-yun.

Shawn Morrissey introduces Wongudan Altar in central Seoul during the Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walk on Nov. 15. Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar

“We’ve built up our social media, along with our podcast and comic books, to make The Dark Side of Seoul more than a couple of tours,” McPherson said. “It’s a brand in itself. It’s our way of getting people interested in Korean folklore, history and culture.”

“I think the wider brand, like the comics and podcast, definitely helped us survive, especially the pandemic,” Morrissey added. “The podcast in particular allowed us to stay accessible to a wider audience. We've had guests on the tour tell us they came to Korea because of the podcast.”

The Dark Side of Seoul Ghost Walks are open to everybody. Morrissey mentioned that young children are welcome to join, as long as they are accompanied by adult guardians. He also added that the tours are accessible for those with mobility issues.

Visit darksideofseoul.com for more information and to book your chance to walk among Seoul’s spirits.