The idea of ghosts or spirits is a prevalent culture phenomenon in many countries in the 21st century and Korea is no exception. In Korean culture, ghosts or 귀신 (gwishin) are believed to be deceased who have not fulfilled their life's purpose or have unsettled grudges against the living. The idea of ghosts stems from the spiritual beliefs of Shamanism, a type of religion that is still actively practiced in Korea. Shamanistic rituals are often performs to appease these ghosts and help them past over to the figurative other side of the afterlife. There are typically four variants of ghosts that Korean culture depicts. These are "cheonyeo gwishin" (처녀귀신), “mongdal gwishin” (몽달귀신), mul gwishin (물귀신), and “dalgyal gwishin” (달걀귀신).
Cheonyeo gwishin are female virgin ghost that have passed without becoming a mother or having a husband. These ghosts are typically depicted as having pale white faces, blood red lips, white mourning gowns called "sobok" (소복), and their hair down. Korean women had it tough as their role in society was to serve her father, her husband, and her children. Although these ideas are fading, gwishin are representative of generations of belief in this idea.
The male equivalent of Cheonyeo gwishin are mongdal gwishin. These are male bachelors that led unfulfilled lives by not having a spouse. These are less common than the female ghost in media generally. Shamanistic rituals are performed to bring together these two ghosts to fulfill their lives spiritually and help them pass on to the afterlife.
Mul gwishin are water ghosts who died of drowning and are often depicted as lonely but spiteful spirits who try to pull the living into the water to die like them. The final type, the dalgyal gwishin, is the strangest of the bunch. It is an egg shaped ghost with no facial features or limbs that instantly kills anyone who looks at them.
Although these ghosts are most likely fictional, they still play a large role in Korean culture and are a reflection of the standards of Korean society. These ghosts demonstrate the importance of gender roles and of familial relations. Shamanism and the media continue to perpetuate the ideas of ghosts in Korean society.
Two recent Korean shows that focused on ghosts or spirits are Hey Ghost, Lets Fight! and Hotel Del Luna. Hey Ghost, Let's Fight! follows the story of the young man who has the ability to see ghosts and the ability to physically interact with them. He fights ghost at the request of others for money and soon accepts the help of a ghost to fight along side him against other ghosts. Hotel Del Luna follows the story of a ghost hotel in the middle of Seoul and its ill-mannered owner who was cursed to manage this hotel because of a crime she committed but does not remember. Each show illustrates some of these ghosts variants and makes the idea of ghosts humorous but scary at times. I would highly recommend either of these shows to anyone who enjoys a good rom-com with some Korean ghosts to add!
Comments
Hey Victor, I really enjoyed reading your cultural post about ghosts and mythology. The thoughts of the ghosts and afterlife are really cool but at the same time kind of scary to think of. I know there are a lot of shows in Korea based on mythology that really speaks about Korean culture. When I was little, my cousin would always share scary stories to me and I remember her talking about gwishin and all the scary ghost tales.
Hello Victor Chen! Your cultural artifact about ghosts in Korean culture is very interesting. I remember when I lived in Korea, some of my friends did believe in these shamanistic rituals. I even remember seeing yellow strips of paper with characters written on them on the walls of my friends' houses.
This is so interesting! I never knew there were male versions of cheonyeo gwishin because there were only the female cheonyeo gwishin that comes out a lot in movies or kdramas. I also never heard about dalgyal gwishin this is very foreign to me but also scary. I really like you post because it summarizes the different types of ghosts that Koreans believe in or talk about.
Woah, I never knew ghosts were such a relevant aspect of Korean culture! That's interesting that the idea of ghosts originated from the spiritual beliefs of Shamanism. The different ghost types are really interesting, especially the last mysterious one -- I wonder what people end up as those (if ghosts are real haha). I never thought about how different cultures have different ideas about ghosts and that they're depicted worldwide through entertainment and other customs. Right now I'm really into Julie and the Phantoms on Netflix, although it's in English, but the idea was adapted from the original Brazilian television show, Julie e os Fantasmas.
It's interesting that so many countries are still superstitious in the modern world. Vietnam is no different though. We have our own version of some of the ghosts you listed above. Interestingly enough, some rural parts of Vietnam still practice a tradition known as Ghost Wedding (it's said that the practice originated in China but I'm not sure) where to appease a ghost's wrath for dying before marriage, (usually) a live bride is "purchased" to wed a deceased groom. I heard that in some practices, the bride is then buried alongside her husband though I hope those are nothing more than rumors.