Jindo wants to get its shamanistic rite designated a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage.

From the Hankyoreh:

As hereditary shamans gradually die off one by one, the designation of Jeolla Province’s ssitgimgut ritual as a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization world intangible cultural heritage is being pursued. South Jeolla Province has begun to pursue the listing of the Jindo ssitgimgut, one of Korea’s leading shamanist rites, as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity with UNESCO. Jindo is an island located off the southwestern coast of the Korea Peninsula.


The ssitgimgut is a traditional rite that involves calling forth the spirits of the dead to resolve their earthly rancor, cleansing them and praying for their safe passage into the next world.

The photo is from the article, too, which you can finish on your own. Google will turn up more on shamanism in Korea, including the Wikipedia page on the topic and this write-up on the Jindo rites from the Cultural Properties Administration. On the Seoul Podcast a few weeks ago Gomushin Girl ranked watching a shamanistic ceremony as the top thing to do in Korea.