{
  "id": 5433385,
  "title": "[COVER STORY] Korean shamanism spreads far beyond its homeland",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/03/cover-story-korean-shamanism-spreads-far-beyond-its-homeland",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-03T22:57:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times-koreatimes",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/southkorea/globalcommunity/20260904/cover-story-korean-shamanism-spreads-far-beyond-its-homeland"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Korean shamanism, an ancient spiritual practice native to the Korean peninsula, has recently garnered significant global attention. This phenomenon can be largely attributed to the rise of Korean culture in the realm of technology and media. The practice has been introduced to audiences worldwide through various forms of popular cultural content, such as streaming services and media appearances.\n\nThe journey towards this newfound global awareness began two decades ago with the arrival of Andrea Kalff, a woman from Prien am Chiemsee, Germany. Kalff, who was raised in a Catholic family in Bavaria, embarked on a path less conventional for someone of her background. At first, she had no interest or knowledge of shamanism, let alone the Korean version. However, her life took a turn when she began experiencing unusual dreams, intuitive perceptions, illnesses that remained unexplained by physicians, and psychological crises.\n\nThese experiences corresponded to what Korean tradition understands as sinbyeong, a term for \"spirit sickness,\" which is believed to affect individuals destined to become shamans. At the age of 32, in declining health, Kalff was invited by a friend to initiate into the world of Korean shamanism. This marked the beginning of her transformative journey as she delved deeper into the practice and its significance.",
  "summary": "As Korea has taken its place among the world leaders in technology, many facets of its traditional culture also have found their way to a global audience. Through a series of appearances in media and popular streaming content, Korean shamanism has achieved a a new level of global awareness in recent years. For some, the idea of Korean shamanism being a global entity began 20 years ago with the…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}