Singer Hwang Chan-hee Reveals Shaman Life and Struggles with ‘Spiritual Illness’ on KBS Morning Yard

Hwang Chan-hee has openly shared that he is now living as a shaman.

On the broadcast of KBS 1TV's Morning Yard on the 13th, singer Hwang Chan-hee appeared and updated viewers on his current life.

Appearing on the 'Challenge! Stage of Dreams' segment, Hwang Chan-hee caught attention even before singing, saying, "It took me a long and difficult time to gather the courage to stand on this stage."

He reminisced, "Ever since I was young, my dream was to be a singer. I won first place in a radio singing contest in middle school, and at 20, I received the bronze prize at the Gunsan Cherry Blossom Song Festival. Gradually, my dream of becoming a singer started to come true."

He continued, "What I'm about to share now is something I'm revealing for the first time today. Especially, my friends who make music with me will probably be very surprised."

Hwang Chan-hee then revealed that he is currently living as a shaman who serves the spirits. "I perform rituals and even ride the 'jakdu' (ritual cutting knife). Around the time I started my singing career at age 20, I began experiencing spiritual illness," he confessed.



He shared that he left home and lost contact with his family for 10 years. "After a decade, I returned to my hometown. I got married, had a lovely son and daughter, and was living well—but then the spiritual illness returned. My father suffered both a heart attack and a stroke, my daughter began speaking incoherently and was often ill, and my mother also became sick. Misfortune kept striking our family," he revealed.

In the end, Hwang Chan-hee accepted his fate as a shaman. "After living as a shaman for about seven years, a burning passion for music reignited deep in my heart. I missed singing so much," he said, updating viewers that he is now active as a singer in a local Gunsan rock band made up of office workers. and as part of the Gunsan Citizens' Art Troupe.

However, he admitted to struggling with the old saying that shamans cannot have other jobs. Hwang Chan-hee shared that he found courage after seeing Soon-dol Lee Geon-joo, saying, "Through this stage, I want to proudly reveal that I am a shaman and sing with confidence from today onward." After his performance, he smiled, expressing a sense of relief.

Photo Credit: KBS 1TV

This article is a translated version of the original Korean article published by Xportsnews, originally written by Kim Bomin. This article was translated from Korean using AI-assisted tools and human review to deliver an accurate and culturally appropriate version for international readers.