Place in Society
There is no notion of salvation or moral and spiritual perfection, at least for the ordinary believers in spirits. The shaman is a professional who is consulted by clients whenever the need is felt. Traditionally, shamans held low social status and were members of the ch'onmin (천민) class. This discrimination has continued into modern times.
Animistic beliefs are strongly associated with the culture of agricultural, fishing and the common villages and are primarily a phenomenon found in rural communities. Shamans also treat the ills of city people, however, especially recent migrants from the countryside who find adjustment to an impersonal urban life stressful.
In North Korea, all mudang descendants were labelled as members of the 'hostile class' and are considered to have 'bad songbun', i.e. "tainted blood."
Read more about this topic: Korean Shamanism
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