Why Korean Fortunetellers Freak Me Out
I’ve written before that my childhood dream was to become the Korean Carl Sagan. Quantum mechanics classes in college irreparably damaged my aspirations, but I’ve kept my interest in the field, and firmly believe that mathematics and science will ultimately be our savior.
So, when people speak of poltergeist events they’ve experienced or things of that supernatural sort, I just… as politely as I can… walk away.
That said, from time to time, I come across some things that absolutely freak me out. Things that are unexplainable (other than what I’m about to write, there were numerous such occasions in the past, having to do with my family members and celebs).
I’m sure many of you have watched the Oscar-winning movie Parasite (기생충).
And one of the main actors of the movie is Lee Sun-kyun (이선균).
He’s spent quite a few years as a no-name in the Korean acting scene until 2007~8 when he started getting more roles as a serious actor. Since then, he’s been one of the busiest, highest paid, and all-around successful actors in the Korean film industry, TV and on the big screen. His public image has been very good as well, which is supremely important in Korea. Didn’t seem like a guy who would do anything bad—has so much to lose, right? Married to an actress with two teenaged sons, apparently working on so many different projects, on top of being the spokesmodel for a number of big companies.
About 2 weeks ago, rumors started flying around that a bunch of show business people were being investigated by the police for illegal drug use. In America, a top star smoking pot here and there might not be such a big issue, but in Korea it is. It can be a career-killer. And the rumor was that a top star named “L” was the center of the investigation. That’s how news breaks in Korea—they never reveal who the person is until they’re officially arrested and/or summoned.
“L” turned out to be Lee Sun-kyun of Parasite (기생충), of My Mister (나의 아저씨), of Pasta (파스타). With My Mister being talked about as the most well-made TV drama series ever in some circles.
I’ll spare you all the details, but when the news broke, one of the first things he said publicly was that he was “blackmailed into this position by a dealer” without admitting anything.
** But remember, these are allegations, not evidence of facts.
OK. Let’s go back a few years. Shortly after Parasite won all the big awards at the Oscars, a YouTuber who visits and interviews fortunetellers in all corners of Korea (they’re everywhere!) asked about Bong Joon-ho (the director), Song Kang-ho (lead actor), and Lee Sun-kyun. Note the date when this YouTube video was uploaded (bottom left of the screenshot).
3 years ago!! (More specifically, it was about 3.5 years ago.)
In this 7-minute video, this lady who goes by her “philosophical” name of Geum-Hwa-Dang (금화당, it’s analogous to authors going by their pen names), reviews the “saju (사주, 四柱)” of the 3 main people involved with the movie. Saju literally means “4 pillars,” but in Korean vernacular, it refers to a certain fate a person is born with. What most of these Korean fortunetellers do is, based on the year, month, date, and time of a person’s birth, they can tell what happened in the person’s past, and predict his/her future.
Her review of Bong and Song’s saju were kind of vanilla, but when she gets to Lee, her facial expression suddenly changes.
A few seconds after she’s given Lee’s birthday information, the first thing she says is this.
Why do I see him in handcuffs?
It looks like he will be at the center of a controversy. (구설수 = being the subject of gossip because of some trouble)
Not because of his own volition…
… but because of someone else’s influence… (remember what Lee said about being blackmailed?)
Why am I all of a sudden seeing this?
(after a pause…) This man… by any chance, he doesn’t do… you know…
(the YouTuber asks) … you mean, like illegal drugs?
Yes, that.
And why do I see him with a syringe?
I don’t know… I’m just going to tell you what I’m being told. (What she’s referring to here is, she is channeling this hal-money (할머니, grandmother) who is feeding her information.)
What hal-money is telling me (to tell Lee) is, “hey, you fool, you’ve built up all this, only to lose everything in one day. Be careful.”
October…
Be careful in October, is what I’m told.
I’ve never had this kind of feeling, all of a sudden. (she looked genuinely confused and perturbed in the video.)
Hal-money is really scolding him.
I’ll leave it at that. Remember, this was filmed 3.5 years ago. And finally, don’t bother looking for her. She apparently passed away 2 years ago.