{
  "id": 5440583,
  "title": "[WEEKENDER] Korean shamanism spreads far beyond its homeland",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/03/weekender-korean-shamanism-spreads-far-beyond-its-homeland-5440583",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-03T23:37:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times-koreatimes",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/southkorea/globalcommunity/20260904/weekender-korean-shamanism-spreads-far-beyond-its-homeland"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In recent years, Korean shamanism has gained unprecedented global recognition, thanks to its increasing presence in media and popular streaming platforms. The phenomenon began over two decades ago when Andrea Kalff, a woman from Prien am Chiemsee, Germany, became the first European to embrace Korean shamanism. Raised in a Catholic family in Bavaria, Kalff had little exposure to or interest in shamanism. However, she experienced unusual dreams, intuitive perceptions, unexplained illnesses, and psychological crises that align with Korean tradition's concept of \"sinbyeong,\" or spirit sickness, which affects individuals destined to become shamans.\n\nAt the age of 32, when Kalff was facing declining health, she was invited by a friend to join the world of Korean shamanism.",
  "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": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "[WEEKENDER] Korean shamanism spreads far beyond its homeland",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/03/weekender-korean-shamanism-spreads-far-beyond-its-homeland",
        "published": "2026-09-03T23:32:03.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}