The sound of tinkling bells drifts through an alley in central Seoul, an unmistakable sign that a shaman is near – although in this case the mystic is a robot powered by artificial intelligence.
Many South Koreans still place great value in shamanic traditions, which purport to divine a person’s future based on the day and time they were born.
Practitioners, known as mudang, wear long, colourful robes and perform dances and chants to commune with the gods – sometimes even walking on sharp blades to demonstrate their spiritual connection.
However, at Vinaida, a cultural products store in the capital, they are computer-generated avatars on screens.
Visitor Kim Da-ae, 36, called it a “unique experience”.
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