A Korean Urban Legend: Do Not Step on the Threshold!

By Hyunji Kim

In South Korea, there is an urban legend that if you step on the threshold, bad luck will find you soon. (Figure 1.) It is one of those things that has been passed down through generations, from grandparents to parents and parents to kids. I remember when I was a kid, my grandmother used to scold me when I accidentally stepped on it. She shouted, "이놈아, 조심해! 운지방을 밟으면 있던 운도 달아나고 나쁜일이 생길거야! (Careful! Do not step on the threshold, or you will chase away all the good luck, and bad things will happen!)"

You might probably think it is crazy to believe this. However, then why do so many Koreans - including my family - believe this urban legend? First, this is an urban legend that comes down to tradition. Think about this: if your parents and grandparents believe something, you are probably going to believe it too, aren't you? It is like a family tradition. So even though you are not really sure why you should not step on the threshold, you listen to your parents and grandparents anyway because it is what your family has always done, and what you always told.

Second, people who believe this have fear of stepping on the threshold. Like who wants to mess with bad luck? I have heard stories about people who stepped on the threshold and then had something bad happen to them; Maybe they got sick, or they lost their job, or got into a car accident. It might just be a coincidence, but why take the chance? It is better to be safe than to take a risk. But there is more to it than just tradition. This whole urban legend gives people a feeling of control, especially when life gets tough. You know, when things happen that we cannot really do anything about, like getting sick or losing a job? Fallowing this belief about the threshold gives us a sense that we are doing something to protect ourselves. It is like a little ritual that makes us feel like we are in charge, even when life feels uncertain. So, when everything else seems out of control, sticking to this tradition can be like a security blanket, helping us feel a bit better about things.

But is there any scientific evidence that stepping on the threshold actually brings bad luck? I mean, luck is just luck. It is not like it is something you can see or touch or measure. However, people still believe it, even though there is no scientific proof of it.

One reason why people believe urban legends is confirmation bias. What this means is that people only see what they want to see and only listen to what they want to. So basically, it is the idea that once you believe something, you start to see evidence of it everywhere, even though it is not really there ("Confirmation bias"). So, if you believe that stepping on the threshold brings bad luck, you are going to think all the time something bad happens after someone steps on the threshold, but you will ignore all the times nothing happens. It is like your brain is making you believe the urban legend is true - even though it is not.

However, just because this urban legend is a long-standing tradition does not mean it is true. Let's think about all the other urban legends out there such as stepping on a crack, breaking a mirror, or seeing a black cat. These urban legends have been around for a long time, but that does not mean they actually do something.

The origin of the urban legend about stepping on a threshold is not certain because urban legends often change over time as they are passed down through stories and culture (Kim 10). However, it likely started with superstitions and folklore. In many cultures, thresholds have been seen as important boundaries between inside and outside. People often believed that these thresholds were special and could protect against evil or bring good luck. So, the idea that stepping on a threshold brings bad luck may have come from these beliefs.

Finally, this urban legend appears differently depending on the culture. Some cultures like Korea and Japan try not to step on the threshold, but others do not care. This shows that this urban legend is not an objective fact.

So why don't we look at these urban legends from an objective point of view? Do some research about them and keep asking questions about why I believe these, and why people believe these. Instead of just following tradition that our parents told us, let's think for ourselves. Then maybe we can notice that some of the things we have always believed are not true after all. Whether or not you believe that stepping on the threshold brings bad luck is totally up to you. But just remember that it is a good idea to research things, see if it is true, and it is okay to try to think differently. Let's feel the pleasure of digging into the truth of what we have always believed.

"Confirmation bias." Britannica School, Encyclopaedia Britannica, 18 Aug. 2023. school.Gb.com/ level s/high/article/confirmation-bias/627535. Accessed 4 Apr. 2024.

Kim, So-un. Three Korean Fairy Tales: Beloved Stories and Legends. Illustrated by Ky6ng-sim Chong, Tuttle Publishing, 2019, https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&db=nlabk& AN=2106701.