Hi Chingus,

Do you have some things that are considered extreme bad luck once they happen in your culture? Like when they happen, you totally feel like your entire day just went freaky Friday and it’s going to be awful. If Yes, well, welcome to the club because I’ve got a number of those.

I have scoured the internet, turned the entire world’s database upside down, and found a number of things that are considered bad luck in South Korea, so if you want to ruin your own day, here are your bad luck tips. You have been warned.

Dreaming of Teeth Falling Out

Koreans have a number of interesting superstitions about dreams like if you dream of a pig, it means you’re about to get a good fortune or filthy rich.

However, if you dream about losing your teeth, it is considered a sign that you will lose something very valuable like your money, health, or even a cherished loved one. Losing your teeth is considered a green flag for ultimate misfortune, and you do not want to have this dream. 

Eating Apples at Night

Another weird bad luck superstition is regarding your doctor’s favorite fruit! Yes, it’s an apple. While your doctor and the English Language totally believe that “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”, in South Korea, it is believed that eating apples at night is sure to give you a terrible stomach ache and ruin your evening.

Apparently, in South Korea, the time of the day you eat the apple will matter if it's a good apple or a bad one. It is said that an apple you eat in the morning is a golden apple; by afternoon, it becomes a silver apple; but at night, it becomes a poison apple. It’s safe that we might have just discovered the time Snow White ate that apple.

So, if you want to have your own snow-white experience, eat an apple at night and find out. If not, then avoid the apple spell, or this apple will bring you and your doctor closer every night at the hospital. This isn’t a Kdrama guys.

Hearing a Crow Cry in the Morning

This next superstition doesn’t really come as a huge shocker because let’s all be sincere, crows are creepy. In South Korea, hearing crows cry is considered a huge sign of bad luck.

Why does Korean tradition hate those poor black creatures with the loud scary cry you ask? Well, crows are often seen as creatures of the underworld who transport messages of death, plus they give very scary chills, therefore waking up and hearing that is a major green flag for bad luck.

So, dab yourself in salt and do the sign of the cross because crow bad luck is as real as it gets in every culture, including Korea. But Koreans don’t necessarily hate all birds, Magpies are considered as good luck charms, and hearing them might just brighten up your day.

So when you hear a crow, grab a magpie and say “Not today Satan”

Shaking your Legs Takes Away your Fortune

In Korean culture, your legs are symbols of fortune, prosperity, and wealth. It is largely believed that if you shake your legs, you are shaking off your good fortune and wealth right out of your spirit. Nervousness or waiting for the bus while standing is not an excuse. So, rule one of building that rich oppa/noona aura is never to shake your legs.

Imagine getting a rich chaebol to shake his legs and actually shake all his wealth to you, that would be crazy. I believe this needs a K-drama of its own. TVN, KBS, JTBC, don’t sleep on it.

Whistling at Night attracts Ghosts and Snakes

Whether it's just for fun or jamming to your favorite K-pop and whistling along because you do not know the lyrics, doing this is sure to get you an impromptu visit from a wandering ghost you never wanted, except if you’re into that sort of thing. It is also believed that whistling can also attract snakes and other evil spirits. 

This is because whistling is often considered the language of the dead and spiritual creatures, so children as well as adults are told to abstain from doing it. You have been warned, once you start to whistle, it’s jalgayo for me yeorobun.

Cutting your Fingernails at Night is Bad

While keeping up with the practices of good hygiene is necessary, in Korean culture, when you cut your nails at night, rats and spirits can eat it up and steal your identity.

No, I know what you’re thinking! This isn’t “Golden Spoon” where you can swap lives by eating the fingernails of the rich and famous.

Moral lesson of the day: If you don’t want rats who obviously have a grudge against you to steal your identity and go all ratatouille on you, cut your nails during the daytime. 

Washing your Hair on New Year’s Day Will Take your Fortune Away

This rule doesn’t only apply to New Year though, whether it’s an exam, a job interview, or any important day you have where you need good luck, you shouldn’t wash your hair according to Korean superstition because this will wash all the fortune from your head.

Korean students mostly avoid washing their heads on exam days or before a test so that all the knowledge they have gotten into their heads won’t just wash away. Imagine using this as an excuse for failing a test; the reason for failure – Head Washing.

Like many cultures, South Korea is not left out of the bad luck superstition boxes, and many locals try to avoid them as much as they can. Even as individuals, we have our good luck feels and bad luck warnings.

Please ensure to stay safe and remember that when you’re feeling a little out of luck, there’s a K-drama about a human who turned into a chicken nugget. You haven’t gotten it that bad. You’re going to be fine.

Till later Chingus.