Behind the Myth: Korean Ghosts

This series of articles sheds light on the origins of some Korean myths, folklore, traditions and superstitions.

“Behind the Myth” recently covered the Korean superstition about spirits following and haunting you when you change homes. Let’s keep it going with the scary stuff and reveal some more spooky beliefs regarding Korean-style ghosts.

What exactly are Korean-style ghosts? There are precisely four types of ghosts, called “gwishin” (귀신) which are believed to be the spirits of the deceased who have not fulfilled their life’s purpose. They are stuck in the afterlife, still haunting the living, not able to cross over to “the other side”, waiting for their souls to be appeased. The origins of these spiritual beliefs stem from Shamanism, a type of religion that many in Korea still practice, which deals with spirits in the natural world. Numerous shamanistic rituals deal with appeasing these gwishin.

Consequently, there are many Korean horror films which feature ghosts looking like deathly pale girls wearing white gowns. Their lips are blood-red and they seem to float on air. They resemble the ghost called “cheonyeo gwishin”. Cheonyeo gwishin (처녀귀신) is the most common of the four ghosts. She is the virgin ghost, the girl who could not serve her purpose in life. It was very difficult to be a woman in early Korean times; her life would consist of only serving her father, her husband and her children. If she had failed in achieving her wish and had lifelong resentment, her life would have been meaningless and her soul would still be stuck in our world. This ghost wears traditional white mourning clothes called “sobok” (소복) and wears her long hair down because she does not have the right to wear her hair up, as married women traditionally did. She holds a grudge over those who may have caused her harm and continues to haunt them. The Ring is a film based on an earlier Japanese horror movie featuring just such a ghost.

The male equivalent to the cheonyeo gwishin is called the “chonggak wishin (총각귀신)”. Also known as “mongdal gwishin” (몽달귀신), he is the unmarried bachelor ghost. Sometimes there are shamanistic rituals that aim to unite both forms of ghosts, cheonyeo and chonggak gwishin, so that they may be married. If successful, their life is completed and satisfied (in a spiritual sense). At peace, they may then be permitted to heaven. In pop culture and films, the female ghost is much more common than the male version.

Some people say drowning is the worst way to die. Well, there’s a ghost for that. A mul gwishin (물귀신) is the spirit of someone who drowned; a water ghost. These ghosts are very lonely living in the cold water where they died, so they may pull you down into the watery depths if you are not careful. This spirit has led to the Korean term물귀신 작전(mul gwishin jeokjeon) which translates to “water ghost tactics”. This expression means someone is dragging you down to suffer along with them; a form of sabotage. It’s something like the “I’m taking you down with me” expression.