FatManSeoul

Over at Oh My News, Robert Neff has a Halloween column well worth the read for some spooky stories of Seoul and beyond . . .

Hungry Ghost Scroll - image from Tokyo National Museum

Check out this clever way to get rid of certain spirits:

According to an article published several decades ago by Yi Kyu-tae, there were several ghosts “sighted” in Korea following the Kabo reforms in 1894-95.

According to him, many of the Korean residents of Seoul were convinced that there were Japanese ghosts haunting the streets of Seoul. For some reason the people called them “Yobosang,” a derogatory name for Koreans used by the Japanese during that period, and believed that Korean women were especially susceptible to these ghosts. At night, if a woman had to go out into the streets, she carefully packed a packet of ground red pepper and placed it in the roomy sleeves of her jacket to be used as a weapon against the Japanese ghost. According to the local belief, the ghosts could not endure the fiery taste of the red pepper.

Fatman is adding red pepper to our stockpiles of garlic and salt.  Or you could try one of these products  . . .

Repellents-R-Us

Macto Ghost Repellent and Monstercide

If all else fails, the Ghostbuster’s phone number is 555-2368.

If you’re not scared enough, check out more stories from the series here, and remember that most cultures believe you can bribe ghosts to leave you alone by putting food outside.  If you live in Fatman’s neighborhood, we have it on good authority that ghosts really love foie gras , fermented skate, and quality champagne.