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A few years ago when I returned to Korea, I was walking on a busy street in Seoul. A lady suddenly approached me and said she knew I’d just returned after being away for a long time. I thought she was a scammer, so I ignored her. She kept following me and telling me things from my past she possibly couldn’t have known. Surprisingly, she was very accurate.
I finally stopped and asked, “How did you know?” She smiled and introduced herself as a fortune teller. She said she could tell me more if she knows my birthday, year and time.
We sat down and she wrote down my birthday and the other information I gave then seemed to calculate something to read my four pillars of destiny. According to her, I had too many fire elements and because I was born in the summer, “have a fierce energy and fervor that can transmit to others like a burning flame. You’ll be very successful whatever you challenge.”
“However, no one can be perfect, it’ll be hard to find a good man for you,” she added.
I laughed and told her it was fun, then paid her 20,000 won. Koreans believe if we don’t pay some fee after a fortune teller’s service, the luck will disappear.
I’ve always been surprised whenever I find out how much Koreans love fortune-telling. Many Korean mothers visit a shaman to ask for the yearly fortune for our entire family. Some of my friends even study fortune-telling skills to read their own future. Many Koreans have the four pillars mobile apps on their phones. Most fortune tellers I’ve met have been so right about my past and personal traits. However, when they talk about my future, many have been completely wrong.
I truly believe the one who can decide one’s fate is ourselves. With the ownership of our own life, we should lead ourselves to the way that we believe what’s right for us. However, I can’t deny it’s so fun talking to fortune tellers, especially when they say good things about my future!
To experience this fun and strange Korean culture, you can easily find one on busy streets in places like Hongdae and Myeongdong. The price is usually between 30,000 won and 50,000 won to read physiognomy, the lines of the palm and four pillars of destiny.
Beware of scammers!
If you’re interested in experiencing fortune-telling in Korea, you might be an easy target to be scammed by a famous Korean cult, so please beware!
There are cults whose members pretend to practice Buddhist activities and approach people on the streets. Since most Koreans can detect these scammers, they seem to target foreigners more often these days.
Many will lure you in with the promise of learning unique Korean customs, including wearing a hanbok and bowing to a table where they insist your ancestors are seated. After the ritual, they might ask you to pay over 300,000 won.
Trust your gut and don’t be a victim of a fortune-telling scam. Just remember what your mom said: Don’t follow suspicious strangers!
