Namhaean Byeolsin-gut, a shamanic ritual of the South Sea area of Korea, is a village gut (shamanic ritual) held on the islands of Hansando, Saryangdo, Jukdo, and many other islands of the southern archipelago of the Korean peninsula. Hundreds of islands are densely located in the South Sea, with some smaller islands giving scenic views of the region. Behind the beautiful scenery, the majority of islanders depend upon fishing for their livelihoods. In recent years, island populations have decreased, with a particularly sharp decline among younger generations aged between twenty and forty. As a result, difficulties in the economic, social, and cultural situations of the islands have become more pronounced.

In the days before modern medicine, severe illnesses were thought to be the mischief of spirits. Thus, the best way to cure a disease was to exorcise the disease-causing spirit through a byeonggut (shamanistic healing ritual). This ritual went by different names according to the region. In Hwanghae Province, it was known as the toesong-gut or hajik-gut; in Seoul and the Gyeonggi Province region, it was called chibyeong-gut; and in the Chungcheong region, it was known as the judangpuri-gut.

Korean shamanism is a collective term to designate a religious folk tradition that includes private, domestic, and communal rituals. Shamanism is an accumulation of five thousand years of Korean life, thought, and culture, so it is a representative folk belief of Korean society. It also has played a key role as a carrier of traditional culture, such as music, dance, myth, and epic poetry. Furthermore, most Koreans, even though many of them are skeptical about shamanism these days, believe that shamanism helps preserve the deep-rooted national ethos. Indeed, the influence of shamanism is so prevalent that one might say that the worldview and symbolism found in shamanism constitutes Korea’s fundamental religious system.