--- title: "AI divination tools replace blind fortune tellers in South Korea’s Mia village" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/business/ai-divination-tools-replace-blind-fortune-tellers-in-south-koreas-mia-village" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/ai-divination-tools-replace-blind-fortune-tellers-in-south-koreas-mia-village" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/business/ai-divination-tools-replace-blind-fortune-tellers-in-south-koreas-mia-village.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/ai-divination-tools-replace-blind-fortune-tellers-in-south-koreas-mia-village" category: "Business & Economy" area: "Asia-Pacific" published: "2026-08-13T19:46:40.550Z" source_reported: "2026-08-13T16:54:12.000Z" updated: "2026-08-13T19:46:40.550Z" trust_score: 50 critic_score: 55 hype_score: 35 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-08-13T19:45:49.434328+00:00" --- # AI divination tools replace blind fortune tellers in South Korea’s Mia village *An 86-year-old practitioner is one of fewer than 20 left as customers turn to ChatGPT and Gemini for advice* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 50 of 100, higher is better. All digests agree on core facts; no named sources or documents cited. - Craft 55 of 100, higher is better. Quotes and specifics absent; digests lack context or next steps. - Hype 35 of 100, lower is better. Headlines overstate impact; digests use dramatic but vague language. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - The community of blind fortune tellers in Mia village, near Seoul, has shrunk from 70-80 practitioners to fewer than 20. - Customers are replacing traditional consultations with AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini for advice on health, money and love. - The divination industry in South Korea was valued at $986 million in 2024, despite the decline of in-person services. - Song Oh-soon, 86, is one of the last practitioners in a village that once drew generations of South Koreans. A village of blind fortune tellers outside Seoul is losing its customers to artificial intelligence. The community, once home to 70 or 80 practitioners, now has fewer than 20. Song Oh-soon, 86, is one of the last remaining members of a group that has offered advice on health, money and relationships for generations. South Koreans are turning to AI-based divination tools like ChatGPT and Gemini instead of visiting the village in person. The shift comes as the country’s divination industry was valued at $986 million in 2024, according to reports. The challenge for the village is not a decline in belief, but a change in how predictions are consumed. ## What the coverage left out No left-rated outlet ran this story. None of the digests below mention how much individual practitioners earned before the decline, or whether the $986 million industry value reflects growth or stagnation. The reports do not say how many customers have switched to AI tools, or what share of the industry’s value comes from online divination. ## Who covered it Shares of the 6 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 0% (0) - Centre: 33% (2) - Right: 67% (4) 4 of 10 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-08-13T19:45:49.434328+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 1 time; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-08-13T20:00:22.598Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left No separate framing summary. ### Centre - The two centre-rated digests led on the fading tradition and the broader cultural impact. IOL described the village as fighting to preserve a centuries-old practice, framing the story as a clash between technology and heritage. France24 noted that the village’s challenge is not fading belief in fortune-telling, but the way it is now consumed, and mentioned Song’s reliance on offline astrology methods. ### Right - The four right-rated digests focused on the economic threat to the practitioners. La Nación and Globo framed the story as AI displacing an ancestral trade, with Globo highlighting the village’s loss of prestige. El Mundo led with the direct quote from practitioners: “Today they’re looking online, they’re not coming to see us anymore.” The Straits Times included the figure of 70-80 practitioners shrinking to fewer than 20. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - mixed: 1 - high: 5 - unknown: 4 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [El Comercio](https://elcomercio.pe/tecnologia/inteligencia-artificial/adivinos-ciegos-se-quedan-sin-trabajo-por-culpa-de-la-ia-en-corea-del-sur-ahora-prefieren-consultar-a-chatbots-gemini-chatgpt-noticia) — Blind Fortune Tellers Run Out of Work because of AI: in South Korea They Now Prefer to Consult Chatbots - [La Nación, Grupo Nación](https://nacion.com/el-mundo/la-ia-amenaza-inesperadamente-un-empleo-antiguo-el/H27EPA4JCREATAS3DAUAFWJDBU/story) — AI Unexpectedly Threatens an Old Job: that of the Blind Fortune Tellers of Korea - [Globo](https://oglobo.globo.com/cultura/noticia/2026/08/13/superados-pela-ia-videntes-cegos-da-coreia-do-sul-perdem-prestigio.ghtml) — Overtaken by AI, Blind Visionaries of South Korea Lose Prestige - [A TARDE](https://atarde.com.br/mundo/videntes-cegos-da-coreia-do-sul-perdem-trabalho-para-a-ia-1398490) — Blind Seers in South Korea Lose Work for AI - [El Mundo](https://elmundo.es/internacional/2026/08/13/6a7d9f53fdddffb7388b45af.html) — South Korea's Blind Fortune Tellers Lose Battle with AI: "Today They're Looking Online, They're Not Coming to See Us Anymore" - [El Economista](https://eleconomista.com.mx/arteseideas/inteligencia-artificial-quita-trabajo-adivinos-ciegos-corea-sur-20260813-828108.html) — Artificial Intelligence Takes the Job Away From the Blind Fortune Tellers of South Korea - [IOL](https://iol.co.za/news/world/2026-08-13-outflanked-by-ai-south-koreas-blind-fortune-tellers-fade-into-obscurity) — Outflanked by AI, South Korea's blind fortune-tellers fade into obscurity - [The Straits Times](https://straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/outflanked-by-ai-stars-fade-for-south-koreas-blind-fortune-tellers) — Outflanked by AI, stars fade for South Korea’s blind fortune-tellers - [France24](https://france24.com/en/live-news/20260813-outflanked-by-ai-stars-fade-for-south-korea-s-blind-fortune-tellers) — Outflanked by AI, stars fade for South Korea's blind fortune-tellers - [rtl.lu](https://today.rtl.lu/news/world/outflanked-by-ai-stars-fade-for-south-koreas-blind-fortune-tellers-367078310) — Outflanked by AI, stars fade for South Korea's blind fortune-tellers ## Questions **How many blind fortune tellers are left in Mia village?** Fewer than 20 practitioners remain in Mia village, down from 70 or 80 in the past. The community has lost most of its members as customers turn to AI-based divination tools like ChatGPT and Gemini for advice on health, money and love. **Why are customers switching to AI for fortune-telling?** Customers in South Korea are replacing in-person consultations with AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini. The shift reflects a change in how divination is consumed, not a decline in belief, though the reports do not specify how many have made the switch. **What is the value of South Korea’s divination industry?** The divination industry in South Korea was valued at $986 million in 2024. The figure comes from reports on the decline of traditional fortune-telling, though it is unclear how much of this value comes from online services. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/business/ai-divination-tools-replace-blind-fortune-tellers-in-south-koreas-mia-village. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "AI divination tools replace blind fortune tellers in South Korea’s Mia village", https://mediabias.news/business/ai-divination-tools-replace-blind-fortune-tellers-in-south-koreas-mia-village