Blog #4 - Goong-Hap

I talked about blood-type love last time. Today, I want to talk about other phenomenon that some Koreans believe in. There is a thing called Goong-Hap in Korea. By the dictionary, it is said that Goong-Hap is marital harmony as predicted by a fortuneteller. I believe that there is no such a word in the US. What it means is that a fortuneteller can figure out if a couple is perfectly matched or not in terms of their Sa-Joos. Sa-joo is known as the “Four Pillars” – the year, month, day and hour of one’s birth – which are supposed to influence one’s fortune or fate. I believe that there are similar things as Goong-Hap in other countries because there are similar aspects of a fortuneteller. Moreover, I think that the type of a thing has not been proven by science. It may be merely treated as a superstition.

However, in fact, many Koreans believe in the existence of Goong-Hap. So, it is common that some couples go to meet a fortuneteller for fun and see if they are really meant to be together. Thus, it is also common that parents go see a fortuneteller and ask her/him if their sons/daughters mat the right mate after their sons/daughters decide to marry someone. If Goong-Hap is true, the outcome of Goong-Hap can be sometimes crucial. For example, by Goong-Hap, it is possible that a person can be harmed or become unfortunate while having a relationship with his/her mate because the Sa-Joo of the mate influences negatively the person. More specifically, the person is more likely to have accidents or even his/her family can become unfortunate. It may seem ridiculous, but some people have experienced these types of things that cannot be explained by any sources, but Goong-Hap. Because of this, it is common that parents go see a fortuneteller before their sons/daughters get married with his/her boyfriends or girlfriends because parents typically want their sons/daughters to get married with someone happily.

I think that the idea of Goo-Hap is very similar to Dr. Galician’s myth #1 – “Your perfect partner is cosmically pre-destined, so nothing/nobody can ultimately separate you.” I somehow believe that a man meets a woman because of they have some sort of pre-destined connection, but I believe that a romance relationship is built through their efforts not because of their destiny. Goong-Hap is a very interesting idea. I myself sometimes check it for fun when I meet a girl, but even if our Goong-Hap is not that good, it does not mean that we have to separate. I think what is for fun is for fun.