25 Korean Superstitions You Had No Idea About

In every culture, there are a set of beliefs and ideas that will bring fortune, misfortune, or even death. Korea is no exception. Since a lot of Korean beliefs and culture has some deep history, let’s take a look at 25 Korean superstitions you had no idea about.

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1. Fans = Death

There are a lot of legends of Korea, but the one that always gives me a good chuckle is the infamous fan death. Back in the early 1900s this superstition was born from early electric fans. Apparently if you slept in a room with all the doors and windows closed, it would start to circulate old air. This in turn meant no new air was coming in and thus you would then suffocate. While there is no scientific evidence to back up this claim, a lot of the fancier fans in Korea will come with a timer to stop running when you are asleep.

This Korean superstition is one many still believe today. During the summer months you’ll often see news stories about fan death.

2. Red Ink = Death

I once made the mistake of writing my co-teachers name in a red board marker before I knew anything about this Korean superstition. When there was a collective gasp from my students I looked around, horrified and asked, “Is there something wrong?”

She then laughed and explained how in Korea, writing a person’s name in red ink was a death wish or death threat. I apologized profusely and we erased her name from the board. So kids, learn from my mistake and never write anyone’s name in red ink.

3. Four = Death

Four being a number of death has its origins in China. Since the number four sounds similar to the word for death, it is thought to be a very unlucky number. I also found this superstition to be true in Japan as well.

Many buildings in Korea will have an “F” to mark the fourth floor instead of the number four.

4. Whistling at Night Summons Spirits

While this superstition may or may not cause death, if you’re walking around at night and whistling a tune to fill the silence, I suggest thinking twice. There will most likely be some very scared Koreans running away from you because some people truly believe this brings demons and evil spirits around. (Personally, I will be using this if some creep is following me while I’m walking to the train or bus station.)

5. Don’t Trim Your Nails At Night

According to this Korean legend, if you trim your nails at night, mice will eat the nail trimmings and transform into you. While they go around doing their evil bidding as you, they will also come back to steal your soul, obviously.

6. Be Careful With Your Chopsticks

Some Koreans believe the closer to the tip you hold your chopsticks, the longer you have to wait to get married. I find this absolutely hilarious because in Japan, I was taught to hold my chopsticks higher as it was a sign of elegance and good manners. According to Koreans, I guess I’m never getting married.

The second chopsticks superstition in Korea is if you stick your chopsticks upright in a bowl of rice. This is similar to the funeral rites and paying tribute to the ancestors. It is thought if you do this it will bring death and misfortune upon you.

Yeesh… Why does someone always gotta die in Korean superstitions? Korean legends are a little extreme, yeah?

7. Thresholds Bring Misfortune

Back in the day, the body of a deceased person would chill out in the family home for a few days. After that, they would then be carried out of the home in a coffin. Once the body was carried out, this means that the veil between the living and spirit world would be open. This was so the spirit of the deceased could then cross into the afterlife. Therefore, it’s really bad luck if a living person steps on a threshold.

8. Seeing a Crow is Bad Luck

In Korean culture, seeing this black bird when you walk out of your house in the morning is a sign of very bad luck and will give you a really bad day. I find this very similar to western culture as some believe seeing a crow can also mean death.

9. Don’t Feed Your Partner Chicken Wings

This Korean superstition will give you a good hoot. No pun intended. Apparently if you feed your boo chicken wings or any kind of wing dish, it’s a sign of bad luck that your husband will be unfaithful and “fly away”.

10. Don’t Wash Your Hair on New Year’s Day

While it may seem like a jolly good idea to bring in the new year squeaky clean and fresh, you probably shouldn’t wash your hair. So that means if you were a nasty going out to the clubs and doing puterias then you’re gonna have to grin and bear it.

11. Deoksugung Path = Splitsville

Alas, there are many Korean relationship superstitions and this is a very interesting one you’ve never heard of before. Back in the day, Deoksugung Path was a common route couples would walk to divorce court in Seoul. In addition, a lot of people would get executed at Deoksugung so that is bad luck anyway. Today, the superstition claims couples who walk along that path are bound to break up. Such a shame really, because it is hella romantic and gorgeous in autumn.

12. Beauty Marks = Unfaithful

Apparently beauty marks near your partner’s mouth is a sign they are unfaithful. Beware in Korea if you date someone like that.

13. Giving Shoes To Your Partner Will Make Them Run Away

This has to be one of the most entertaining Korean gift superstitions, I’ve ever heard. Apparently if you give shoes to your boyfriend or girlfriend, they will run away from you. If you think about it, it makes sense. Hence why you should give them heels so you can make sure to catch them when they try. 😉

14. Don’t Shake Your Legs

When you shake your legs in Korea, it means you’re shaking away good luck. This would explain why I’ve been told by friends before that it’s bad manners. I guess with this one, I shook off all the good luck ages ago. Like biting nails is a bad habit for some people, I’m constantly shaking my legs when I sit down.

15. Stick It With Taffy

Eating 엿or taffy on testing days is a Korean good luck superstition. Since Taffy is very sticky and parents desire knowledge to stick in their child’s head, there’s no better way than to stick it with taffy. It’s also not just taffy that will make the knowledge stick but also any kind of sticky food.

16. Eating Seaweed Soup is Good Luck on Your Birthday

In Korea, during a pregnancy, an expectant mother is usually told to eat a lot of 미역국 or seaweed soup. The reasoning behind this is because Koreans believe seaweed soup has a lot of health benefits and will help the mother bring a healthy baby into the world. Hence, it’s always good luck to eat seaweed soup on your birthday.

17. Don’t Put a Mirror in Front of a Door

Putting a mirror in front of a door in Korea is really bad luck. When you put a mirror in front of a door, it means you are reflecting out all the good luck that tries to come into your home.

18. You Must Move on a Lucky Day

Because this is such a common superstition, a lot of moving companies will post lucky and unlucky moving dates on their websites. These days are usually determined by the lunar calendar. The reason why you have to pick a lucky day to move is because if you move on an unlucky day, you’ll be bringing evil sprits into your new home.

19. Don’t Clean Your House Before You Move

Think twice before you clean your house out before you leave. If you do, the evil spirts will know you’re leaving and get a heads up you’re dipping out. (Why there are so many evil spirits in Korean superstitions, I have no idea.) Make sure you leave a few dust bunnies behind so they’ll have no idea.

This will definitely explain why when I moved in to both my apartments in Korea, they were pretty dusty and dirty. (I was also not happy about having to clean my apartment after someone else.)

20. Give Laundry Detergent as Good Luck

All finished with your move in Korea? Did you make sure to move on a lucky day and leave loads of dust bunnies behind? Great. Now, all you need to do is have a housewarming party! Getting laundry detergent is seen as good luck. This is because the bubbles made by the soap will bring bubbles of good fortune.

21. Beautiful Food = Beautiful Kids

Have you ever seen a roll of kimbap? This tasty Korean comfort food usually has more organized pieces in the center that look really pretty while the ends are kind of a mess. It is said if a mom likes to chow down on the ends her kids will be ugly and if she likes to eat the middle, then her kids will be good looking. Why waste a perfectly good roll of kimbap by not eating the ends, I will never know.

Alternatively, people will tell you to present your food beautifully so you will have beautiful children as well. In any case, it’s a good thing I’m not having children because the way I prepare my food and eat it… Good lord, my offspring would be ugly as sin.

22. Don’t Jump Over a Baby

First of all, why people in Korea would even think to jump over a baby is news to me, and it has serious health implications. Not to mention things could go terribly wrong and you can injure yourself or worse, the baby. Apparently this superstition meant if you jumped over a baby, they would be very, very short.

23. Dreaming of Pigs Brings Wealth

This is a common superstition in Asia. Pigs are a symbol of wealth and fertility so dreaming of a hog is a very good omen! I definitely like this Korean belief and superstition!

24. Dreaming of Poo is Good Luck

I always wondered why my students were so obsessed with poop. They love to talk about it, draw it, say they need to poop, and call each other poop. In Korea, if you dream about poop, it is a sign of good luck! This is because way back in the day, farmers used poop to fertilize their crops giving a much better harvest.

25. Don’t Touch Your Eyes After Touching a Butterfly

While in the west, butterflies are seen as beautiful and a symbol of good luck, they are some pretty cutthroat little beasts according to Korean superstitions. If you touch a butterfly (or a moth) it will curse you and you’ll go blind. That’s a big yikes from me.

Did you enjoy reading about these South Korean superstitions? Which one was your favorite? Korea was a country rooted in superstitions and to this day, still is. It makes the superstitions fun to talk about and see.

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