If one were to ask whether there are absolutely no Shamans in a Unified Korea, that wouldn’t be accurate.
The Republic of Korea is a powerful, advanced nation. Despite the minor issue of evil spirits and evil ghosts roaming the former North Korean region occupied by puppet groups, it is a country with a brilliant economy and powerful armed forces.
Moreover, Korea’s cultural industry has successfully made its name known worldwide.
And that meant that the number of people visiting Korea for leisure is relatively high.
Among these tourists, quite a few are Shamans.
Shamans who come out of interest in Korean culture, similar to other tourists; Shamans who use necromantic magic or possession magic, or those who visit to use evil spirits and evil ghosts as materials to create divine objects; Priests trained in divine magic by the Vatican to counter evil spirits and evil ghosts; And those who came to Korea because they had no other choice.
The largest group among them is the latter.
East Asia boasts a plethora of intriguing topics for Shaman research.
For a long time, China proclaimed itself at the center of the world and built a brilliant civilization, while the Mongol Empire wreaked havoc globally, gathering and destroying everything in its path. Then there’s Japan, an island nation, which despite its closed-off environment gathered magic worldwide during World War II, and finally Korea, a nation that managed to survive among the great powers.
Besides, the security situation wasn’t bad, and the country wasn’t poor.
Thus, for those who travel the world seeking enlightenment through hard work, there was absolutely no reason to avoid East Asia.
However, the issue was that while East Asian countries didn’t discourage Shamans, East Asian nations that fear Shamans are abundant.
First, China.
A communist nation where the atmosphere changes arbitrarily according to the government’s wishes. Moreover, China ignorantly destroyed all magic with the Cultural Revolution, and since then, they’ve been trying desperately to restore magic.
So, if a Shaman, even a foreign Shaman without connections, enters such a nation?
They are bound not to fare well.
China would detain them on various pretexts, extract their magic, and if detention isn’t possible, they would harass them using countless inducements like offering money, power, or women. Such harassment would continue until they leave China.
Moreover, the issue isn’t just the government.
Historically, China has long considered Shamans as harmful entities misleading the masses and corrupting the nation. Calling magic “evil magic,” they ostracized it routinely. Shamans were exploited without proper treatment. Even worse, after surviving this persecution, the Cultural Revolution awaited them.
At that time, Shamans in China were treated as remnants of the old era and superstitious deceivers, leading to their thorough oppression. Countless Shamans disappeared from China.
They either hid in treacherous, uninhabitable lands, emigrated to other countries, or faced death.
This legacy remains ingrained in older Chinese people even today.
Shamans should be oppressed.
Magic is wrong.
Upon seeing one, they must be avoided like filth and must be persecuted.
Those who experienced the Cultural Revolution outwardly don’t show any disdain due to the current Chinese government’s promotion of magic, but deep down, they still distrust and detest Shamans.
Thus, seeking enlightenment by traveling as a Shaman in such a place would almost certainly lead to poor treatment.
Hiding the fact that one is a Shaman and traveling is also unrealistic.
While it might have been possible in the past, it’s not in today’s China.
Currently, China has set up a dense network of surveillance devices primarily in cities and tourist spots, thoroughly monitoring both foreigners and their own citizens. In the countryside, where surveillance is less robust, elderly people who are likely to distrust Shamans would undoubtedly report any sightings.
In this situation, going to China isn’t a great choice.
What about Mongolia then?
The situation in Mongolia isn’t much better either.
Mongolia has been influenced by China as well.
China uses Inner Mongolia to incorporate Mongolia into its own history, asserting legitimacy and preparing diligently to consume Mongolia through war. They also bribe Mongolia’s upper class in various ways to make them comply.
This means…
Going to Mongolia would likely result in similar experiences as in China.
Though they might not be rejected by the citizens as in China, that’s the only difference.
Powerful figures, representatives from China, and countless leeches would undoubtedly make things annoying for the Shaman.
And Japan?
There’s no need to discuss Japan.
One can’t even set foot there.
Japan prevents anyone from stepping on its soil using every possible method.
Even if someone manages to bypass this surveillance and set foot there?
Japan’s surveillance network will detect and distinguish the Shaman using devices spread throughout the country, subdue them with armed force, and either kill or deport them.
Moreover, even if one thoroughly hides being a Shaman, surveillance continues.
Followers of the Abrahamic religions are always under strict Japanese government surveillance, and foreigners staying long in Japan without special abilities are no exception.
They insert foreign residences into the police patrol routes for constant surveillance, forcing frequent spot checks. Furthermore, if any strange events occur—things that defy normal reasoning—foreigners are the first to be placed under suspicion.
Some may complain about this blatant discrimination against foreigners…
But it’s not that.
Because if one has mastery over skills like martial arts, summoning, or magic, the level of surveillance significantly decreases.
Japan merely distrusts magic, and they distrust it quite excessively.
Given such a situation, if a Shaman wants to go to East Asia, they have only one choice.
The Unified Korea.
Here, whether Shamans come or not, they don’t care, and other than occasional contact with entrepreneurs, they aren’t bothered. There’s even a certain degree of goodwill towards Shamans. Moreover, there is no issue with poor security, and no mafia or gangs get involved even if one uses their skills to earn money.
Thus, foreign Shamans are a relatively rare sight in the Unified Korea.
Furthermore, because these Shamans often perform actions that seem eccentric, despite being rare, their presence strongly sticks in people’s minds, making them somewhat familiar figures.
The reason Jinseong’s eccentric attire while wandering was understood as being a Shaman or eccentric behavior was due to these reasons.
However, the existence of foreign Shamans in Korea and entrusting them with domestic accidents and incidents are entirely different matters.
Foreign Shamans.
And ones whose thoughts we cannot predict.
Whom could we trust and delegate tasks to?
From the government’s perspective, a ‘foreign Shaman’ is akin to a walking dice.
When a low number comes up, they cause trouble; when a high number comes up, they bestow blessings on people.
For instance, if the dice rolls a 1, they may suddenly visit a military base in Paju, wanting to control evil spirits or evil ghosts.
If it rolls a 3, they might visit an orphanage to bless the orphans.
If it rolls a 6, they might propose removing the stakes buried throughout Korea’s mountains in exchange for being allowed access to the government’s magical records.
In other words, Shamans are utterly unpredictable and incomprehensible beings.
Thus, the government finds it difficult to trust them.
It’s not that their abilities are untrustworthy.
The issue is that they are too unpredictable, making it difficult to rely on them.
Given this situation, the government opted for another method instead of depending on foreign Shamans.
On one hand, they’re working on creating Shamans domestically, and on the other, they’re trying to handle situations through researchers like ethnologists and cultural anthropologists until a real Shaman appears.
This isn’t a bad approach.
The records contain writings about magic and its origins, so even if a perfect solution isn’t possible, it’s feasible to make an informed response.
However, the government’s miscalculation was that artificially creating Shamans is extremely difficult.
This was an inevitable fact.
Using magic itself isn’t difficult.
If one knows the correct method and is ready to pay the cost, it’s manageable.
But using this as a profession is an entirely different story.
Rather than merely being ready to pay the cost, one needs to be intimately familiar with it.
This implies possessing a robust mental strength that turns severe pain to the point of desiring death into everyday life.
It’s not just pain.
Every form of magic inflicts distinct pain, and the price can vary even when using the same magic. It’s impossible to adapt to such pain.
Why would anyone willingly endure this for a lifetime?
For the sake of working for the government until death?
Would that really happen?
Blackmail or brainwashing?
That’s impossible too.
If those methods worked, the northern regions wouldn’t have turned into a land of death.
Shamans are beings that cannot be controlled by anyone.
What about offering immense wealth and honor?
That wouldn’t work either.
If someone seeks wealth and honor, becoming a lawyer, judge, or doctor through study, or starting a business, would be better. If they have talent for special abilities, learning martial arts or magic would suffice.
Why would one go so far as to make Shamanism their profession?
Thus, creating Shamans led by the government was a distant goal.
So, would they just wait for Shamans to magically appear?
That’s also hard.
If one wants to spark an interest in magic, there must be something to spark that interest, right?
Without resources on magic, trial methods for using it, and means of finding and experimenting with magic, how could one develop any interest?
Flower seeds falling on parched soil won’t bloom either. Korea had entered such a vicious cycle.
A magical desert environment prevents the birth of Shamans, and the lack of Shaman births exacerbates this environment.
Yet, amidst this vicious cycle, a Shaman suddenly appeared.
A genuine Korean Shaman, backed by a conglomerate, young, with good looks suited for public appearance.
Given this scenario, the government couldn’t help but have high hopes for this Shaman, Jin Park, the promising youth and potential successor to Shamanism.
