Everyday Korean Superstitions
What does it mean to dream of pigs, and why burn underwear?
South Korea сelebrates Lunar New Year/Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images
South Korea, on the whole, is not a particularly religious country. Many South Koreans treat the rituals of various religions with respect and sympathy, seeing them as traditions passed down by their families and ancestors. However, faith generally doesn’t play a significant role in society, especially among the younger generation.
That being said, Koreans don’t dismiss mysticism, supernatural forces, or the hidden mechanisms of existence as mere fiction. On the contrary, skepticism about these things is rare among Koreans, and superstitions are embedded in cultural traditions and taken very seriously here.
For foreigners, understanding some of these is particularly important to avoid awkward situations. For instance, writing a postcard to a Korean friend with a red pen might not bring them joy but instead scare them half to death, as red ink is traditionally associated with death and is often used to write the names of the deceased. And so here are twenty of South Korea’s most well-known household superstitions, many of which are considered undeniable truths, as obvious as two plus two equals four.
1. Do not swing your legs while sitting on a chair—it brings bad luck.
2. Do not call anyone by their real name at night as you may accidentally call a ghost with the same name. Once summoned, this ghost will be impossible to banish. You can, however, use household nicknames.
3. Never whistle at night under any circumstances. Whistling is considered the language of spirits, and it might summon malicious entities.
People praying in front of totems during the Korean War/Alamy
4. Stepping on a threshold is also forbidden. It is believed that unwanted spirits, who are denied entry into human homes, gather at the threshold, yearning for the life force of the living. If you step on such a spirit's invisible ‘head’, it might become so enraged that it finds a way to take revenge.
5. Never, under any circumstances, give a Korean a handkerchief, no matter how expensive or beautiful it is. Even offering a paper napkin is only acceptable if it is requested of you. Such a gift is thought to bring a curse upon the recipient, causing them to shed tears over the misfortunes that will almost certainly befall them.
6. Dreaming of pigs means you will come into money.
7. Do not cut your nails at night, and if you have cut them, do not throw them outside or leave them on the floor. Mice will eat the nails, take your looks, and steal your soul!
Koreans in traditional dress standing near a carved post on a mountain road. Posts carved to keep devils from passing. Circa 1920-1924/HUM Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
8. Do not step over a baby lying down—it will stop growing!
9. Do not step over the head of an adult lying on the ground—it will bring death.
10. Do not write your name in red, or you will bring a quick demise upon yourself.
11. Do not write greeting cards with a red pen, or you will bring the recipient bad luck!
12. Do not eat seafood before taking exams, especially dishes with seaweed in them. You will get stuck in the questions and drown.
13. Do not take a bath before an exam—you will wash all the answers out of your head.
14. Those who hunt for discounts and sales will go bald! It is believed that baldness is a sign of a greedy person.
Evening in Seoul. Shops/SongJoon Cho/Bloomberg via Getty Images
15. Opening an umbrella indoors will bring death.
16. To prevent evil spirits from entering your new home, you should move in on the right/auspicious days, and Korean moving companies publish special calendars on their websites. Also, you should not put things in order before you leave. Then the spirits will not suspect that you are planning to leave.
17. If you give your beloved shoes, she will run away from you.
Couple in Korean traditional clothes Hanbok/Alamy
18. Evil spirits can ride on the tails of cats.
19. If you touch a butterfly and then touch your eye with the same finger, you will go blind.
20. Every nine years of your life, you will have a ‘black streak’ lasting three years. Burn your underwear in the temple to have less bad luck.