Comedian Kim Joo-yeon, who had abruptly left broadcasting, shared an update that she has transformed into a shaman.
On the 21st, Kim Joo-yeon shared an update through a video titled "Five years after retiring from the entertainment industry and becoming a shaman... the beautiful comedian I met at a restaurant" posted on the channel One Mic.
Kim said, "It's been over 20 years since I started broadcasting, but people still recognize me as 'comedian Joo-yeon,'" adding, "These days I'm more grateful to be called a shaman than an entertainer. Along with my work as a shaman, I also help at the barbecue restaurant my parents run."
She continued, "Originally my parents ran a steamed shellfish restaurant, but I suggested we change it to a barbecue place," adding, "I gave the reason that this spot is an auspicious site, so the restaurant would do well. Only now are my parents acknowledging their daughter as a shaman."
Kim's mother said, "I've completely accepted it now. At first, it felt like she had gone to another world and it was very hard, but now she's much more stable," adding, "I used to wonder, 'Does my child really have to go this far?' Now I have faith."
Recalling when she suffered from a spiritual illness, Kim said, "Even when I had partial paralysis, people didn't believe me. I even heard, 'Show me proof,'" adding, "But since receiving the spirit descent ritual, I haven't been sick even once. The allergies I used to suffer from have disappeared and I don't get minor ailments."
She continued, "Before I tried riding the ritual blade myself, I didn't know how sharp it was. Every time I climb on it, I'm scared and want to run away. It feels like standing on chopsticks," adding, "It would be a lie to say it doesn't hurt at all, but I ride it myself every time."
On her relationship with religion, she said, "Even as a shaman, it has nothing to do with religion," adding, "I used to be a Christian." She continued, "I graduated from a Christian school with a 100-year tradition, and my spiritual mother received Catholic baptism. The people who come for readings are mostly Christians."
Kim Joo-yeon debuted as a 15th-term open recruitment comedian at Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) and became known through the "Joo-yeon-ah" segment on "Gag Ya."