Korean Superstitions & Halloween Events

It is the season of superstitions, gruesome tales of death and dismemberment and scary costumes. Superstitions (미신) change from country to country and culture to culture so while stepping on a crack may not break your mother’s back in Korea, whistling while you walk just might! Are you ready for Halloween in Korea? It’s a bit different, but still fun fun fun!

Celebrate Halloween in Korea or just learn about the Korean superstitions you should be aware of, or beware of.

We like to get out and about have fun with the rest of them so I’ve compiled some of the popular Korean superstitions to beware of this holiday season and always AND there are some great events to get to this Halloween in Seoul, if you’re looking for them. Don’t miss out on all of the fun this autumn. Make sure you get out about to the apple festivals, see the fall foliage and eat the sweet autumn treats while you’re at it too!

Here’s how to enjoy Halloween in Korea this year:

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Do They Celebrate Halloween In Korea?

Halloween isn’t a widely celebrated holiday in Korea though most Koreans have heard of it or seen how people celebrate abroad. There are more and more Halloween parties each year and more and more cafes and schools are jumping in to celebrate and provide events for adults and kids.

Is There Trick-or-Treating In Korea?

This isn’t really a thing so if you have kids in Korea, don’t start knocking on the doors in your neighborhood or apartment if you haven’t heard they are specifically having an event.

If you want to take your kids trick-or-treating, get into the expat parents in Korea groups on Facebook for details on events. The parent led events attract hundreds and there are a few major expat run events around various cities including Ilsan, Pyeongtaek, and in various areas of Seoul and Busan so look into whichever one is closest to you.

Generally these expat-led events are held in parks, in the afternoon for younger kids, and into the darker hours for older kids. Picture trunk-or-treat but in a park with parents passing out candy at benches and at trees.

Where To Get A Halloween Costume In Korea

Online: Make sure to get it ASAP! Halloween.com ships to Korea and have a ton of awesome choices to choose from. There are also plenty of Squid Game options out there if you want to go for a theme that will sure to be hot this year.

Daiso & Flying Tiger: If you want some basic cat ears, vampire capes, or glasses, Daiso and Flying Tiger usually have a small selection. They aren’t entire costumes, but pieces you can throw together with a black sweatshirt or something to make for a quick last minute costume should you need one.

Joy Party: Looking for something more substantial and not interested in doing a DIY costume this year? Check out Joy Party which not only has costumes but also decor for your Halloween party too.

These are scattered around Korea so search 조이파티 and find the nearest one to you.

Party N Deco: Located in Seocho-gu, if you’re near this part of town, this is definitely where you should go for Halloweeny goods.

Address: 56 Bangbae-ro 13-gil, Seocho-gu, Seoul (서울시 서초구 방배로 13길 56)
Hours: Monday – Saturday: 9:30am ~ 8:00pm (Until 6:00pm on Saturdays)

Spooky Halloween Events In Seoul

This list will continue to be updated as more events are introduced. Not many places are decked out for Halloween in Korea so you have to go out of your way a bit to celebrate. Here are the places that are decorated in the Halloween spirit and tours that would make for some Halloween fun.

Full moon, blood red moon, Halloween in Korea

The Dark Side of Seoul

For something a little different join a walking tour down the dark back alleys of Seoul to learn a bit more about the ghosts that haunt the streets.

Joe McPherson will share the urban legends that you will tell your friends about and maybe if you’re “lucky” you’ll pick up on some strange spirit activity. This is a tour that is actually offered year round here in Seoul, but Halloween is by far the best time of the year to enjoy it. Tis the season to check out this haunted tour.

The Dark Side Of Seoul — Photo Credit: Korea Food Tours

Zombie Factory Halloween Party

In it’s 5th annual year, this Halloween party takes place in Gangnam at Kunsthalle, an amazing event space that has seen the likes of Chanel, Audi, and more. Kunstalle is a 3-story venue and there will be 1,000 tickets sold for this party with unlimited cocktails and beer from 6:00pm to 9:00pm. Join the fun early and dance the night away. Get your tickets early before they sell out.

Lotte World: Horror Halloween, The Escape

If you haven’t visited Lotte World yet, this could be the time for you. This theme park is luckily both indoors and outdoors so if the frigid weather that just blew in is a bit much for you, then maybe check this out for the indoor option. There’s a Halloween Party Parade, Zombie Prison escape room, Zombie theater and more. Make sure you to check out the spookie treats too.

When: Usually beginning of October to end of November.
Admission: Make sure to get your tickets online before you go to get the discounts and fast track option. You can get tickets to Lotte World here on Klook or here on Trazy. If you want to go all out, you can get the Songpa L Pass and see Lotte World, the Lotte Aquarium, and Seoul Sky all in one go too. Get your Songpa L Pass here on Klook.

Seoul Land: Wicked Wonderland

Find out if you’re a wizard or a witch when you enter and then dance the night away at the Luna Fiesta and the festival of lights. This is probably the most young kid friendly of the three.

When: September to the end of October.
Admission: Get discounted tickets online before you go here on Klook.

Everland: Blood City, Endless Horror

Everland, the largest theme park in Korea, hosts this amazing event each year. I’ve never stayed into the night but have been during the day with kiddos and we really enjoyed it. We left as the zombies were making their way in for the after dark party. The park is transformed into a zombie play ground. Are you ready for the horror? It’s packed with haunted rides and attractions and lots of zombies. This is one of the most popular parks to visit for Halloween.

When: The beginning of September until mid-November.
Admission: Everland is outside of Seoul so be sure to figure out how you’ll get there. Here are some good options for getting there and admission tickets. Klook has the best options to pre-book everything. Get a discount ticket to Everland, or if you need transportation included, get their discounted ticket with shuttle bus package to Everland.

candles, melting candles, Halloween in Korea

Korean Folk Village

A folk village might not be the first place that comes to mind when you’re considering where to go for Halloween vibes in Korea, but the Korean Folk Village puts on quite a show and there are some pretty scary creatures in Korean folklore and mythology. It makes more sense than you might realize.

Get Tickets: Book your tickets in advance on Klook so you can get discounted tickets and book transportation on the shuttle bus if you need it.

12 Common Korean Superstitions

It’s always good to be aware of superstitions when you move to a country so you’re not seen as socially inept or inadvertently wish someone death… which is probably a faux pas in every place around the world. Below you can find 12 common Korean superstitions, but if you’re really looking to go down the superstition rabbit hole, check out this list of 30 Korean superstitions!

1. May the 4th Be Bad: The number four is considered bad luck so, in elevators and other relevant places where a four would commonly be seen, the number is replaced with the letter “F” rather than having the numeral scaring unsuspecting elevator users. If you’re looking to buy a house and this superstition doesn’t have you wary though, check out apartments with multiple number 4s. They are often lower in value due to less people wanting to live in them.

2. The Red Death: Never write someone’s name in red ink as this denotes that someone has died. In the past red ink was used to write a persons name on the family registry who had died, thus doing it while someone is living is to wish them ill or death.

3. Evil Spirits Be Gone!: Koreans believe that moving on certain days of the month will not only have you bringing boxes to your new pad, but also angry spirits as well. Before you contact those movers, make sure the day is an “evil spirit free” day (손없는날) on the calendar.

4. Suffocation Beware: Some people in Korea believe that a fan can kill you! This common superstition comes up almost every summer in the news and garners attention as people discuss and disagree. Some believe that leaving the fan on while inside a room with the windows closed and the door shut while you sleep will result in your death by fan (선풍기사망설). Some people say it all started when people were found dead in their rooms with nothing in the room except a running fan… obviously EMTs must have then reported that the fans were indeed the culprits behind the gruesome murders.

5. Don’t Whistle While You Walk: Some believe that whistling at night will beckon the ghosts and spirits of those passed as well as snakes… guess that means you shouldn’t start whistling your favorite tune as you take a jaunt this week.

6. Shoes Away: If you were thinking of buying someone some new kicks in the upcoming holiday season, think again. Giving someone shoes will almost definitely have them running away from you… at least that’s what this superstition says. (On a funny side note, my husband has given me shoes multiple times in our relationship a rather BIG no-no… and yet…)

7. Walking Apart: There are plenty of paths in Korea that are said to denote love and lengthy relationships should you walk down them in Korea and as such, there are just as many that will have you walking to splitsville. The path along Deoksugung Palace is said to lead couples to break up. This was once where couples walked to go to divorce court so I guess there’s something to this superstition.

8. Shake It Off: Getting children to sit still is probably one of the biggest annoyances to many parents and grandparents. Did you know that shaking your legs doesn’t only make you look nervous or jittery but also brings you bad luck in Korea? Legs symbolize wealth and prosperity so shaking them means you’re literally shaking the wealthy right away from you (다리 떨면 복 나간다).

9. The Blind Butterfly: It was once believed that touching a butterfly or moth and then touching one’s eyes would lead to blindness. How this got started, I’ll never know but you’d just be better off not touching your eyes in general after playing with insects or animals of any kind.

10. Flying Husbands: Giving your husband, spouse or boyfriend chicken wings for dinner will most cause him to “fly” away as his belly will be full of chicken wings. Goes for any winged creature really and basically means you don’t want to feed your significant other anything that can fly…

11. No Jumping Over Babies!: There are plenty of superstitions on raising kids in Korea and one of them regards jumping over them. Not sure why someone jumped over their child in the first place but, so it goes… It is said that jumping over a baby will cause him/her NOT to grow taller. I wouldn’t recommend trying it to test the theory though.

12. Stick To Me: To wrap it up, we’ll leave with a maybe more positive one. Korean yeot or hard taffy made from glutinous rice is so sticky that the superstition around this one has good luck sticking to you if you eat it. This is often given to students studying for a big test so that the correct answers will stick to them and help them during the exam.

Looking to learn more about Korean culture? Look into learning the Korean language. 90 Day Korean is an awesome course that will help you and it makes learning about superstitions sayings and everything else that you are interested in Korea that much easier.

Have fun this Halloween and be safe out there!

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Korean Superstitions & Halloween Events

Do They Celebrate Halloween In Korea?

Is There Trick-or-Treating In Korea?

Where To Get A Halloween Costume In Korea