RALPH WENGE, CNN ANCHOR: The Korean belief known as shamanism helps keep followers in touch with the spiritual side of life.</s>ASIEH NAMDAR, CNN ANCHOR: Shaman rituals called Kut help drive away evil spirits and remind practitioners of their spiritual goals. South Korea's Arirang TV gives us a sampling of how those rituals are being transferred to the Korean stage.</s>WON YONG-JOO, ARIRANG TV REPORTER (voice-over): The sound of Kut heard at the National Theater of Korea's performance of the actors' peanutty (ph): peanutty meaning wish or prayer, and in this case, good fortune in the new millennium, is the hope of this blessing Kut. Audience members are taken through six acts: to drive away evil, appeal for the prosperity of the country, and praise ancestors.</s>JUNG SANG-CHUL, TROUPE LEADER (through translator): We take parts from Korean Kut that resemble plays. So you can say we are experimenting with combining Kut and thunder (ph) plays.</s>WON: The highlight of the show comes in the fifth act in the form of a play within a play. In this story, a man named Hamadangda (ph) is banished to hell by a god because of his greediness. But the earnest prayers of the man's daughter in law move the god to pardon his wrongdoings and also inspires Hamadangda to reform himself.</s>BAEK SUNG-HEE, SENIOR TROUPE LEADER (through translator): If people want a better</s>WON: The special performance to kick off the new millennium is also timed with the National Drama Company's 50th anniversary. (on camera): It's not every day that Koreans get to take part in a Kut. Viewers can get a taste of the roots of traditional Korean arts. Won Yong-joo, Arirang TV.
Rituals of Shamanism Come to the Korean Stage