第2250期:South Korea’s Ancient Tradition Revived with Social Media

In South Korea, the prayer table of Lee Kyoung-hyun looks similar to those of Korean shamans from hundreds of years ago. It has statues of Buddha and local gods, candles, and incense.在韩国，李京贤的祈祷桌看起来与几百年前韩国巫师的祈祷桌类似。桌上有佛像和地方神祇的雕像、蜡烛和香。The 29-year-old shaman may use traditional prayer objects, but Lee reaches her followers in a modern way: through social media. Hundreds of thousands of people follow her online.这位29岁的巫师可能使用传统的祈祷物品，但李以现代方式接触她的追随者：通过社交媒体。成千上万的人在网上关注她。And she’s not alone. Since starting her YouTube channel in 2019, she has noticed more South Korean shamans posting videos about the spiritual practice.她并不孤单。自2019年开设YouTube频道以来，她注意到越来越多的韩国巫师发布有关灵性实践的视频。Researcher Kim Dong-kyu is with the Academic Center for K-Religions at Sogang University, a private research university in Seoul. He said shamans used to publicize themselves in newspapers. He said it is "natural” for them to use social media.研究员金东奎隶属于首尔的一所私立研究型大学——西江大学的K宗教学术中心。他说，巫师过去常通过报纸宣传自己。他认为他们使用社交媒体是“自然的”。South Korea is among the world's most modern and high-tech economies. More than half its population of 51 million does not practice a religion, research shows. However, the appeal of shamanism remains popular and seems to be growing.韩国是世界上最现代化和高科技的经济体之一。研究显示，在其5100万人口中，超过一半不信奉宗教。然而，巫术的吸引力仍然很受欢迎，且似乎在增长。Google Trends tracks popular searches on YouTube. It shows that searches for "shaman" and "fortune-telling" in Korean have nearly doubled over the past five years.谷歌趋势追踪YouTube上的热门搜索。数据显示，过去五年中，韩语“巫师”和“算命”的搜索量几乎翻了一倍。A 2024 Korean film called Exhuma is about a shaman removing a curse on a family. The film has made at least $97 million dollars internationally and is raising interest in the religious tradition. The Korean Film Council says that one in five South Koreans has seen the film.2024年上映的一部韩国电影《Exhuma》讲述了一位巫师为一家人解除诅咒的故事。该电影在国际上至少赚取了9700万美元，并引起了人们对这种宗教传统的兴趣。韩国电影委员会表示，每五个韩国人中就有一个看过这部电影。Shamans are thought to have special powers, including the ability to know what will happen in the future. They offer followers relationship advice, guidance on job searches, and predictions, said Lee.人们认为巫师拥有特殊能力，包括预知未来的能力。李说，他们为追随者提供关系建议、求职指导和预测。Park Chea-bin is a 33-year-old Buddhist. In 2020, she visited Lee when she was struggling to find a job. She said she felt "peace of mind" after meeting with the shaman.朴彩斌是一名33岁的佛教徒。2020年，当她在找工作时遇到了困难，她拜访了李。她说，在见过巫师之后，她感到“心灵平静”。Park said, "I was very anxious at the time but I became a little relaxed after deciding to let things go and focus on what I need to do."朴说：“当时我非常焦虑，但决定放下并专注于自己需要做的事情后，我变得稍微放松了一些。”She found a job at about the same time as her visit with the shaman.她在拜访巫师的同时找到了一份工作。Shaman Lee posts videos on subjects such as Korea’s future for the rest of 2024. "The current state of South Korean society is a factor that can't be ignored," she said. She added that many people come to her with concerns about the costs of housing and raising children.巫师李发布了关于2024年余下时间韩国未来的视频。她说：“韩国社会的现状是一个不可忽视的因素。”她补充说，许多人来找她咨询住房和养育孩子的费用问题。In Seoul, where Lee works, the price of a home was more than 15 times the average wage in 2022. In 2017, a home in the Korean capital cost 8.8 times the average wage. These amounts come from a Korean government report. The country has also suffered from high inflation and interest rates.在李工作的首尔，2022年房价是平均工资的15倍以上。2017年，韩国首都的房价是平均工资的8.8倍。这些数据来自韩国政府的一份报告。该国还遭受了高通胀和高利率的困扰。