How did the heroine trio Huntr/x defeat demons in KPop Demon Hunters? With their songs and choreography, of course! You might think featuring music in this way was a plot device for the movie, since the girls are supposed to be in an idol band. But in fact, it was a reference to traditional Korean culture.

Since ancient times, mudang, also known as fortune-tellers or traditional shamans, have existed in Korea. However, they do more than simply tell fortunes. Mudang have long performed sacred rituals called gut to drive away evil spirits and bad energy using music and dance. If that rings a bell, it’s because young mudang have been featured in other K-content such as the film Exhuma and dramas like The Haunted Palace and Head Over Heels.

Stories of mudang are not only myths found in folk tales. Shamans continue to perform gut rituals even today, in 2025. You’ll find them at funerals, village festivals, and healing ceremonies and other customary parts of everyday life.

Feeling intrigued by Korea’s folk beliefs and traditional lore? Head over to the National Folk Museum of Korea in Jongno, Seoul. It’s where you can learn about everything from traditional lifestyles and spiritual practices to crafts and folk customs. The district of Jongno itself is steeped in history as it was the site of ancient royal palaces, so we recommend stopping by and diving into the many historic sites around the museum.

There is another set of stars in KPop Demon Hunters, and they’re not even human. They’re the tiger and magpie that appeared in the movie and captivated the hearts of viewers everywhere with their adorable charm. But why a tiger and a magpie? In Korean tradition, tigers and magpies have long been a duo. You’ll find them paired together in numerous traditional folk paintings.

In many works of folk art, the tiger is depicted as playful and friendly though scary-looking on the outside, while the magpie is seen as a symbol of luck and bearer of good news. The tiger in particular is considered a national symbol of Korea, which is why many Korean characters take on its form. The official characters of KREW, the Hallyu-themed social media channel introducing Korean culture and tourism, are also a tiger, a bear, and a magpie. Together, they provide info on everything from major concerts and destinations to fun tips on daily Korean life.

If you simply can’t get enough of these animal icons, you can even take them home. MU:DS, the ultra-stylish gift shop at the National Museum of Korea in Yongsan, Seoul, offers trendy souvenirs like magpie and tiger badges as well as the gat strap pen, which is inspired by the jeoseung saja theme we mentioned earlier. More than your average museum shop, MU:DS turns traditional Korean culture into sleek, modern design pieces. It has become popular as a must-visit souvenir shop in Seoul.

The National Museum of Korea, where MU:DS is located, is full of exhibits that bring the country’s rich history to life, including traditional folk paintings that depict the very same tigers and magpies. As of 2024, it ranked sixth in global museum visitor numbers and first in all of Asia. Thanks to BTS’s RM introducing its exhibits and merch, international visitors keep breaking records year after year. If you ever make it to the museum, what would you like to do first: learn about Korean history, check out the art, or go shopping for the merchandise?

Koreans are often described as being full of heung or “exhilaration,” as music and dance have always been at the heart of everything from shamanistic gut rituals, folk games that were passed down generationally, and even royal court ceremonies. In fact, this is why K-pop and K-dance are beloved the world over.

In the recent global dance survival reality program World of Street Woman Fighter, the Mega Crew mission performance by the Korean crew Bumsup racked up over 7 million views in a single day. Dancers combined contemporary street dance with the slick choreography of traditional dance, inspired by the jeoseung saja motif, to present a uniquely Korean show.

For so long, Korean traditional arts have known many forms that incorporate this blend of storytelling through movement that can resonate with the community. Examples are pansori (epic vocal storytelling), gugak (classical Korean music), and traditional dance. And Seoul is home to many venues that offer these traditional performances.

For instance, Jeongdong Theater hosts performances that reimagine traditional arts in a contemporary way, while the National Gugak Center offers classical performances that involve traditional instruments such as pansori and gayageum. If you’d like to know more about the traditional artistic rhythm and soul that fuel today’s K-pop music, you’ll find them here.