Call a lost soul via Bok symbol
Soul Calling (Chohon, 招魂) is a traditional Korean shamanic (Musok) ritual that summons the spirit (hon) of the deceased to communicate. 'Cho' means to call, and 'hon' means spirit. The ritual was performed to converse with the dead or to find a lost spirit. Soul Calling divination reinterprets this traditional ritual in the form of fortune-telling.
In Korean Musok, the hon is the essence that governs a person's life force and spirit, dwelling within the body during life and departing at death. It was believed that when the hon left the body, the person would fall ill or lose consciousness, and shamans performed soul-calling rituals to call the lost hon back into the body.
Soul calling was also performed to summon the spirit of the deceased and mediate conversation with bereaved families. The shaman would enter a trance state to channel the deceased's spirit, allowing the family to convey unspoken last words or help resolve the deceased's lingering resentment.
The origins of the soul-calling ritual can be traced back to ancient East Asian concepts of the soul. In ancient China, a custom called 'chonhonbok' involved placing the deceased's clothing on the roof to call back the spirit, a practice recorded in classics such as the Book of Rites (Liji). In Korea, soul-calling rituals are believed to date back to the Three Kingdoms period.
During the Joseon Dynasty, Musok was suppressed, yet shamanic rituals including soul calling persisted among the common people. In particular, the custom of performing soul-calling rituals to comfort the spirits of those who died suddenly from epidemics or war was commonplace. According to the Encyclopedia of Korean Folk Culture, soul calling was primarily a ritual to summon the spirit of someone recently deceased, with the shaman using a spirit banner (myeongjeong) or the deceased's clothing to guide the spirit.
In modern times, some shamans still perform soul-calling rituals, but fraud and accidents have frequently occurred during these practices, becoming a social problem. Courts have partially acknowledged the social function of Musok practices while imposing strict penalties for fraud that exceeds the bounds of acceptable religious behavior.
In Korean Musok, soul calling takes various forms, such as 'bujeonggut,' 'jinogwigut,' and 'sajagut.' Jinogwigut is a ritual to comfort and guide the spirit of the recently deceased to paradise, while sajagut is a ritual to resolve the deceased's lingering resentment and pray for the family's well-being.
During the ritual, the shaman enters a trance state to channel the spirit of the deceased, mimicking the deceased's voice and mannerisms to convey messages to the family. Through this, the family has a final conversation with the departed and finds comfort in resolving lingering attachments or grief.
However, these rituals rely heavily on the shaman's subjective experience and cannot be objectively verified, inherently carrying the risk of fraud. In practice, cases of shamans demanding exorbitant ritual fees by claiming to mediate the spirits of the dead are all too common.
2015 Seoul Exorcism Forced-Vomiting Death Case: Shaman A (59) was commissioned by the mother of a 19-year-old girl with level 1 intellectual disability and Rett syndrome to perform an exorcism ritual. A forced the victim to vomit for approximately 15 minutes by inserting one hand into her mouth while pressing on her chest with the other, claiming to 'expel the possessing spirit.' The victim suffocated when vomit blocked her airway and died after being transferred to a hospital. The Seoul Central District Court sentenced A to 2 years of imprisonment for negligent homicide, calling it 'a grave act of negligence in continuing physical harm without medical knowledge.'
2024 Incheon Shaman Charcoal Torture Murder Case: Shaman A, a woman in her 70s, plotted the crime when her niece B attempted to leave her side, claiming she needed to 'exorcise evil spirits.' A and her accomplices bound B in an iron structure and subjected her body to charcoal heat for approximately 3 hours. B died of multiple organ failure. The Incheon Prosecutors' Office upgraded the charges from injury resulting in death to murder and indicted them. Investigation revealed that A had been spiritually dominating her followers for an extended period.
2024 Wonju Shaman Ritual Fee Fraud Case: Shaman A (51) extorted approximately 30 million KRW from a flight attendant by claiming that 'your mother has a death spirit (sangmun-sal), and if you don't perform a ritual immediately, she will die within days,' and 6 million KRW from an office worker by claiming 'there is a divorce spirit and a grave problem.' The Chuncheon District Court Wonju Branch sentenced A to 2 years in prison with 3 years of probation, calling it 'fraud that exceeds the bounds of acceptable religious behavior,' and the appeals court upheld the ruling.
2024 Seoul Possession Ritual Fee 100M KRW Fraud Trial: Shaman Kim, who operated a prayer hall in Jungnang-gu, Seoul, collected over 100 million KRW in ritual fees over the course of 7 months by telling customers who came for fortune-telling that 'you are possessed by a spirit, which is why you're sick.' One victim testified being told, 'if you don't perform the exorcism, you will die, and your family will die too.' The first-instance court acquitted her due to insufficient evidence, but this case shed light on the severity of high-value fraud in Musok practices.
These cases demonstrate that soul-calling and exorcism rituals can inflict serious harm on mentally vulnerable individuals. Extorting exorbitant ritual fees by exploiting fear of 'spirit possession' or 'curses' is subject to legal punishment, and when it escalates to physical harm, it can develop into serious crimes such as negligent homicide or murder.
Traditionally, soul calling served the psychological function of bringing closure to the farewell with the deceased and comforting the grief of bereaved families. Providing the opportunity for a final conversation with a suddenly lost loved one can offer a measure of comfort in the mourning process.
However, in modern society, soul-calling rituals carry a high risk of devolving into vehicles for fraud and harm. Due to the nature of rituals that depend on the shaman's subjective experience, objective verification is impossible, and cases of malicious shamans instilling fear to extort large sums of money continue unabated. Courts partially acknowledge the traditional and social functions of Musok practices while imposing strict penalties when fraud is established.
When approaching soul-calling divination for entertainment purposes, it is important to recognize clearly that it is created content, not actual spirit communication. While appreciating the cultural significance of traditional rituals, it is essential to learn from real-world cases of harm and maintain a healthy distance.
LunaWitch's Soul Calling is an entertainment experience themed around the soul-calling ritual of summoning lost spirits from the darkness by tapping the character 'Bok' (福, fortune). Inspired by traditional Korean Musok soul-calling rituals, AI channels the spirit's responses to the user's questions.
As confirmed by real incidents, soul-calling and exorcism rituals can inflict serious harm on mentally vulnerable individuals. Cases such as the death from forced vomiting during an exorcism, the torture and murder of a niece under the pretext of 'exorcising evil spirits,' and fraud cases extorting exorbitant ritual fees under the guise of 'spirit possession' all support this.
LunaWitch's Soul Calling takes these risks seriously, clearly labeling all content as for entertainment purposes only, and displaying a warning screen before the ritual begins to caution those sensitive to mental health topics. We offer an immersive experience themed around traditional Korean Musok soul-calling rituals, with safety measures in place to remind users that this is created entertainment content. Listen to the messages of lost spirits in the darkness with LunaWitch — but always remember to take care of your mental well-being.
Korean Musok soul-calling (Chohon) traditional sources (Encyclopedia of Korean Folk Culture Chohon entry), Seoul Central District Court 2015 exorcism forced-vomiting death case ruling (JoongAng Ilbo report), Incheon Prosecutors 2024 shaman charcoal torture murder case (Yonhap News TV report), Chuncheon District Court Wonju Branch 2024 shaman gut fraud ruling (Yonhap News report), Seoul Northern District Court 2024 possession gut fraud 100M KRW trial (Yonhap News report)
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Soul Calling (Chohon, 招魂) is a traditional Korean shamanic (Musok) ritual that summons the spirit (hon) of the deceased to communicate. 'Cho' means to call, and 'hon' means spirit. The ritual was performed to converse with the dead or to find a lost spirit. Soul Calling divination reinterprets this traditional ritual in the form of fortune-telling.
The origins of the soul-calling ritual can be traced back to ancient East Asian concepts of the soul. In ancient China, a custom called 'chonhonbok' involved placing the deceased's clothing on the roof to call back the spirit, a practice recorded in classics such as the Book of Rites (Liji). In Korea, soul-calling rituals are believed to date back to the Three Kingdoms period.
In Korean Musok, soul calling takes various forms, such as 'bujeonggut,' 'jinogwigut,' and 'sajagut.' Jinogwigut is a ritual to comfort and guide the spirit of the recently deceased to paradise, while sajagut is a ritual to resolve the deceased's lingering resentment and pray for the family's well-being.
Soul Calling, Ouija Board, Necromancy, Parallel Self