Online Fortunetellers Flourishing in These Troubled Times

By Jae-gwan Ku, Korea Times New York, December 31, 2008
Translated from Korean by Sun-yong Reinish

January 08, 2009

NEW YORK—(U.S. ASIAN WIRE)— There is an old saying that fortunetellers are very busy in troubled times. But fortunetellers in and around the greater New York and New Jersey area are having a hard time themselves – the number of clients requesting their services has reduced to a mere trickle in the new year.

Normally, the end and the beginning of the year are the times when many Asians visit the so-called Yoksulwon, fortunetellers who predict your fate or future based upon the physical signs of your body – the lines of your hand, for instance – or other information, such as your date of birth. Many seekers prefer the methods of the so-called Cholhakkwan, who incorporate astrological information to make their predictions. Many Asians, including Koreans, believe in or rely on fortunetellers and this is especially true in troubled times. But these days, as fortunetellers are reporting, even non-religious Koreans have stopped coming – in order to save money.

Continue reading in Voices That Must Be Heard, the best of New York's ethnic and immigrant press.



With thanks to Independent Press Association (IPA) and IPA-NY, whose mission is to promote and support independent publications committed to social justice and a free press.