Part 2 [Folklore Analysis] — Decoding "Maeyung": Korean Shamanism and "Han" Culture Behind the App
When the mudang says "This is Maeyung," the show stops being a tech-thriller. A deep dive into the buried-malignancy hex, the concept of Han, and why a mobile phone is the perfect cursed object.
In the latter half of Girigo: If Wishes Could Kill, when Kang Ha-jun attempts to parse the app's code only to hit a logical dead end, the mudang "Sunshine" utters a single phrase — "This is Maeyung." This line instantly shifts the series' dimension from a tech-thriller to a profound work of folkloric horror. But what exactly is Maeyung? And how does this narrative device serve as a vessel for cultural sentiments unique to Korea?
I. What Is Maeyung? Malice Unearthed
Maeyung (매흉) — literally "Buried Malignancy" — is, within the Korean shamanic tradition, an exceptionally insidious form of hexing. Its core essence lies in the twin concepts of concealment and corrosion.
Physical burial: Traditionally, the sorcerer would bury a ritual object — inscribed with the victim's personal details and mixed with blood or the remains of the deceased — beneath the victim's living space.
The transformation in the series: In Girigo, this "space" is transmuted into a virtual, digital realm. The ritual object is "buried" deep within the app's underlying architecture. This transformation symbolizes a stark truth: even as the times change, the malice harbored within the human heart will always find a new vessel to inhabit.
II. Korea's "Han" Culture: The Fuel for the Curse
To truly grasp the nature of Maeyung, one must first understand the concept of Han (한) within Korean culture. It is a form of tragic suffering — chronic, repressed, and utterly unresolvable.
The character Do Hye-ryeong serves as the genesis of this entire curse. The school bullying and profound misunderstandings she endured — viewed through the lens of shamanism — transformed her into a won-gwi (원귀), a vengeful ghost. The bloody, self-mutilating ritual depicted in the series was, in reality, her act of wagering her very life to transmute her pent-up Han into a potent, supernatural curse. This was not merely an act of retribution; it was an expression of utter despair — a desperate cry that declared:
"Since I have been cast into hell, everyone else must be dragged down with me."
III. The Role of the Mudang in 2026
The character "Sunshine" — the mudang portrayed by Jeon So-nee — offers a particularly fascinating perspective on these events. She is no longer the traditional figure clad in hanbok and performing shamanic rituals deep within the mountains; instead, she is a character situated in the urban landscape, one who even possesses a distinctly modern sensibility.
This reflects a current reality within Korean society: even in the high-tech era, shamanic beliefs remain deeply ingrained in the collective psyche. When science — represented by apps and code — proves unable to explain misfortune, people still turn to supernatural forces in search of salvation. The narrative arc in which "Sunshine" confronts the app represents, in essence, a fierce collision between traditional sensibility and modern rationality.
IV. The Transmission of Cursed Objects: From Dolls to Mobile Phones
In ancient times, the act of "burying misfortune" required a physical vessel. In Girigo, the mobile phone emerges as the perfect medium for this purpose. Our phones serve as repositories for all our secrets, desires, and social connections.
The concept of "digital cursed objects" introduced in the series serves, in reality, as a satirical commentary: our dependence on mobile phones has reached a level akin to outright worship. When we tap "I Agree" on our screens, within the context of shamanic lore, it is tantamount to pressing a blood-stained handprint onto a binding contract.
What Maeyung Tells Us
Through the narrative device of "burying misfortune," Girigo successfully modernizes ancient shamanic legends. It conveys to the audience that while technology may evolve and be reinvented, the darkness and deep-seated resentments within the human heart transcend both time and space. The series' success is, to a significant degree, attributable to its precise and incisive exploration of these profound cultural anxieties.