This essay gives a general overview of the history of shamanism in Korea's culture but concentrates primarily on the ramifications of prejudice against its pracitice in modern day Korean culture.

Shamanism in Korea Shamanism is the earliest form of religion associated with Korea. Evidence from ancient cultural relics estimate it to have existed in the Korean peninsula from before 1,000 B.C. Shamanism's spread is thought to be strongly correlated with the country's strong agricultural economy of the Iron Age (Trampas 1). Despite its fundamental role in Korean culture dating back to its early civilizations, shamanism has suffered a long and arduous history. Enduring persecution dating back …

…In the Chosŏn dynasty, "the dominant social class" was mainly comprised of scholars and "literati." Following the dynasty's "creation of a yangban society," (Eckert, Lee, Lew, Robinson, Wager 108) the shamans were "classed as lowborn" (Eckert, Lee, Lew, Robinson, Wager 121) and at the bottom of the social ladder. Although Korea still maintains some of these prejudices today, the goal of young and modern Koreans is to move forward toward a progressive and accepting Korean culture.