As Korea has taken its place among the world leaders in technology, many facets of its traditional culture also have found their way to a global audience. Through a series of appearances in media and popular streaming content, Korean shamanism has achieved a a new level of global awareness in recent years. For some, the idea of Korean shamanism being a global entity began 20 years ago with the arrival of Andrea Kalff, a woman from Prien am Chiemsee, Germany, who became the very first European to become a Korean shaman. Kalff was raised in a Catholic family in Bavaria, with little knowledge or interest in any kind of shamanism, let alone the Korean version. “Since childhood, I had experienced unusual dreams, intuitive perceptions, illnesses that physicians could not explain and psychological crises that correspond to what Korean tradition understands as 'sinbyeong',” she explained, referencing the "spirit sickness" that is thought to affect people marked to become shamans. Initiation into world of Korean shamanism At the age of 32, while in declining health, she was invited by a frien