Nestled in the quiet alleys of Mia Village on the northern outskirts of Seoul, 86-year-old Song Oh-soon sits in her cramped studio — which doubles as both her home and consultation space — waiting for clients who rarely come. Song is one of the fewer than 20 remaining visually impaired fortune-tellers in a community that once hosted 70 to 80 practitioners, a centuries-old tradition that is now being rapidly outcompeted by the artificial intelligence tools that define modern South Korean life.
For generations, this enclave of blind fortune-tellers drew crowds of South Koreans from all walks of life, who traveled here seeking guidance on everything from chronic illness and financial struggles to romantic troubles and existential questions about fate. Today, however, most people opt for the convenience of AI-powered divination chatbots and mobile fortune-telling apps, leaving the village’s narrow lanes quiet and its traditional shopfronts dark behind faded, weathered signs.
Unlike the automated algorithms that have captured most of the modern fortune-telling market, Song has remained deliberately offline. She still relies on braille copies of the ancient “Four Pillars of Destiny” astrology text and the empathetic, attentive listening she has honed over 40 years of practice — a human touch she argues no AI can replicate. Over her decades of work, she has talked suicidal visitors through their darkest moments, even drawing on her own experience: after losing her sight to childhood illness before the Korean War, Song once contemplated ending her own life before finding purpose in fortune-telling. “I persuaded them to keep living,” she told AFP. “I also once wanted to die, but I found this work and survived.”
Contrary to common assumptions, interest in fortune-telling has not declined in South Korea — it has simply shifted online. Data from startup analysis firm InnoForest shows the national fortune-telling industry is actually growing, reaching a total value of 1.4 trillion won (approximately $986 million) in 2024. A 2024 survey from market researcher Embrain confirms that most modern consumers now turn to popular AI tools including ChatGPT and Gemini for fortune readings, rather than seeking out in-person consultations.
Occasionally, though, people still seek out the human connection that only a traditional practitioner can offer. Oh Ji-hye, a 44-year-old university professor, relied on AI fortune-telling during her daily commute for years before she reached out to Song for a phone consultation amid rising anxiety about her career. “It felt good that someone rather than AI was concentrating on and listening to my story,” Oh explained.
Mia Village’s story of fortune-telling by visually impaired practitioners dates back to 1966, when the first blind fortune-teller settled in the neighborhood. When Song arrived in 1984, the area was booming alongside Seoul’s rapid post-war economic growth: low rent and steady foot traffic created a thriving hub for the trade, which for decades was one of the only viable career paths open to visually impaired people in South Korea, particularly women facing systemic discrimination. “Back when I lost my sight, there was nothing else I could do besides this job,” Song recalled. “Nowadays, if a visually impaired person is musically talented, they can pursue a career in music.”
Song’s lifetime has tracked South Korea’s extraordinary transformation: from the devastation of the 1950–1953 Korean War and decades of military rule to the 1990s Asian financial crisis, and finally its rise as a global economic powerhouse and leading producer of AI microchips. Rising prosperity has changed client needs too: people who once came to fortune-tellers for guidance on untreatable illnesses now rely on modern hospitals instead. But the biggest shift has come from technology itself: AI offers free or low-cost readings that undercut Song’s 50,000-won sessions, and most remaining traditional practitioners have no online presence, making them invisible to users searching for services on major search platforms.
“I don’t think people are less interested in fortune-telling,” Song observed. “But these days, they look online, so they do not come all the way to us.” For now, despite the loneliness of declining clientele, Song holds to her core belief that fate is not predetermined. “If you put in the effort and make wise judgements, good fortune will come your way three times in your life,” she said.