Superstitions
Koreans and Fortunetellers
If asked, most Koreans will strongly deny being superstitious. And yet, in Korea, there is an extremely strong interest in palmistry, and fortunetellers of all kinds enjoy a booming business here.
Every year, right before the annual college entrance examination, mothers of high school seniors preparing for the exam flock to fortunetellers to find out whether or not their child will pass.
Fortunetellers are also consulted when prospective marriage partners are being considered and when a woman is expecting her first-born child. Babies are often named upon the advice of fortunetellers, and it is not uncommon for couples to actually change the name of their child at the suggestion of a fortuneteller, as the name already given might be expected to cause "bad luck."
At Taejon Expo '93, one of the most popular attractions was the computer fortuneteller named, "My Hand and My Future." It is said that Koreans flocked by the millions to the six computerized mystics, which were set up in the Prosperity Pavilion.
A free-of-charge service, all that was necessary was to touch the screen, and the computer system would display the person's profession, tell about his or her character, and predict what the future held in store. Information from four books on palmistry and fortunetelling was entered into the computer's system and was said to be 70 or 80 percent accurate.
People who had their fortunes told by the computer claimed that it was unbelievably correct and would recommend others to have their fortunes told as well.
The users of the service ranged from elementary school students wanting to know what professions they should enter when they became adults to college students worried about their prospects for finding a job after graduation to government officials wondering how successful they would be in their positions.
Questions
1. Have you ever visited a fortuneteller? If so, when did you go and did you have a special reason for going?
2. Do you think that you are superstitious? Do you think that most Koreans are superstitious?
Does it depend on a person's age? Are older people more superstitious than younger people? If so, why?
3. Do you believe that fortunetellers really can see into the future and tell about a person's character?
If so, how are they able to do it?
4. How would you describe palmistry (reading a person's hand) -a science, an art, a skill, or none of these?
Tell why you think so.
5. What do you think about the Korea practice of changing a child's name on the advice of a fortuneteller?
Do you know anyone whose name was changed? If so, what was the reason?
6. Do you think that the traditional Korean fortunetelling methodology, Saju and Goonghap, should be used as a basis
for determining a person's prospective husband or wife? Why or why not?