March 5, 2025
SEOUL – Joy Bunch, a 26-year-old American artist, had a reading done by a professional fortuneteller for the first time in her life during a weeklong trip to South Korea while visiting a “saju cafe” in Seoul.
“It seemed interesting, and I kind of wanted to try it. Since I was coming to Korea for a short time, I thought it would be a fun experience,” Bunch told The Korea Herald at the location in Hongdae.
She said she has always found astrology and horoscope readings intriguing. Then, she discovered Korean saju reading through a video of Korean boy band Zerobaseone having their fortunes read.
During her 30-minute session over coffee, Korean fortuneteller Myung Kang focused on her career and relationships.
Although the fortuneteller struggled a bit with English, Bunch still found the experience fascinating ― especially when he brought up her relationship with her father, mentioning how he causes her stress, she said afterward.
“I came here to see how much they could tell me about myself without me providing any information. There were a few moments where I thought, ‘Oh, that’s actually pretty true,’ which was exactly what I was hoping to get from the reading,” she said.
Saju is a traditional Korean practice that interprets a person’s fate and destiny based on their date and time of birth. It is believed to offer insights into one’s personality, relationships, career and overall life path.
For Koreans, fortunetelling ― whether through saju, shinjeom (spiritual readings) or tarot ― is not uncommon, especially before major life decisions like marriage, employment or exams.
Recently, however, saju cafes have also been drawing foreign tourists ― some out of curiosity and others with genuine interest.
Impressions
Bunch described her first experience with saju as more “academic” than she had anticipated.
She compared saju to tarot: “With tarot, you look at a picture and interpret your fortune. But with saju, there’s a historical and scientific basis behind the characters and symbols. Seeing the reader analyze symbols related to elements like water and fire made it feel more realistic to me compared to just looking at a card or a star.
“I think Korean fortunetelling might be more detailed and in-depth. They really get deep into the interpretation.”
Kang, who conducted Bunch’s reading, also shared some insights from his experiences reading the fortunes of foreign visitors. With over a decade in the field, he has consulted with clients from many countries, he said, mentioning the US, Canada, France, the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Singapore and the Middle East. Americans make up the largest group, he said.
“Their curiosities are similar to those of Korean clients. They ask about careers, romantic relationships, marriage and finances,” he commented.
He observed that Westerners are generally less familiar with fortunetelling itself. “Even among Americans, Asian Americans tend to ask more detailed questions, while white Americans rarely ask questions and are often not positive when a saju reader jumps to conclusions about their lives. So, I try to be more indirect with them.”
An interesting observation he shared was that Westerners tend to live in alignment with their saju readings more naturally than Asians do.
His theory was that Westerners, being more independent and individualistic, face fewer external influences in their lives, allowing them to follow their saju organically.
“In contrast, Asians — especially Chinese or Indians — often experience strong parental or societal pressures, making it harder for them to align with their saju readings,” he explained.
Hara Nobuko, a 54-year-old Japanese office worker, visited another saju cafe in Hongdae during her packed three-day trip to Seoul. Her itinerary included a shopping trip to Seongsu-dong, a visit to a dermatology clinic and the saju session.
She mentioned that she had already had her saju read in Korea three times.
At this cafe, she had the assistance of a Japanese interpreter as she asked about her romantic life, marriage, career and health. During her 30-minute session, she nodded frequently and asked a multitude of questions.
“In Japan, saju readings are much shorter, around 15 minutes. There is no famous saju reader. If you want a palm reading, you have to pay extra. But here, it’s included in the service, and the readings are more detailed,” Nobuko said. She paid 50,000 won for the half-hour session.
Han Seol, a saju reader in his 50s with over two decades of experience who conducted Nobuko’s reading, noted that he receives Japanese clients almost daily.
“Japan has a similar saju culture to Korea, and Japan’s saju is very systematic, so they are already familiar with it and show a lot of interest,” Han said. “However, in Japan, spiritual divination and shamanism are more common than saju. So, Japanese visitors come to Korea when they want a more academically structured saju reading.”
Emerging part of K-tourism
Bunch believes that K-culture will continue to inspire international fans to explore different aspects of Korean traditions.
“When idols participate in saju readings and share their experiences, it sparks curiosity among fans. International fans become more interested in Korean history and culture beyond just K-pop and dramas,” she said.
In popular tourist areas of Seoul like Myeong-dong and Hongdae, saju cafes actively attract foreign visitors by displaying signs in English, Japanese and Chinese. Some employ saju masters fluent in foreign languages or provide free interpretation services, while smaller establishments use translation tools.
One saju cafe operator noted that many foreign visitors make reservations through travel platforms like Creatrip or Korea Travel Easy.
A Korea Travel Easy representative stated that the platform began offering saju reservations for foreign travelers in 2020, although the service was halted briefly during the pandemic.
“As K-dramas and other content showcase saju readings, foreigners have become more interested in the saju practice. Many see it as similar to horoscopes. The majority of reservations on our platform come from travelers from the US, Singapore, Canada and Australia,” the official said.
Last year, the state-run Seoul Tourism Organization officially recognized saju cafes as a tourism product and began promoting the service.
Lee Joon, a head of the organization’s tourism service team, said, “Although saju cafes may not become a mainstream tourism attraction, they can offer a unique and special experience for visitors looking for something different in Korea.”