Purchasing ritual bells
 where ritual bells can be purchased newly made.](https://micrio.thingsthattalk.net/sgwFo/views/max/640x640.jpg)
Fig. 1. Webshop Sejonmall where ritual bells can be purchased newly made.
Shamanism has been around in Korea for a very long time and can be seen as a traditional practice. It is, however, not only something of the past. There are many shamans active in South Korea even today. Rituals are held for the same reasons as they were in the past, only adjusted to modern life. As there is still a demand for shamans, there are also incoming people taking on this job. To accurately do so, they will have to purchase the necessary supplies, including the ritual bells we have been talking about.
The ritual bells we can see in the pictures are traditional-looking and can be found in a museum. This can lead us to believe they are of high value, and not so easy to procure. However, the reality lies far from this assumption. It may surprise you that these bells can be easily purchased online for reasonable prices, with an average of €40,-: this means that essentially every individual has access to it.
The ritual bells are displayed in museums for the rich stories about shamans that they carry with them. However, if anyone is able to buy these ritual bells, anyone could pretend to have shaman abilities. What does that do for the value of the item? If we have to believe modern shamans, it is not the object itself that created its worth, but the person that uses it and the gift they have. Thus, old or new, both can be valuable depending on the person and the story behind it. While not everyone in South Korea may believe in its validity, overall shamanism is quite an ordinary practice, integrated into daily life and popular media.