# The Great Shaman Ga Doo-shim (우수무당 가두심)
**The Great Shaman Ga Doo-shim** (우수무당 가두심; also translated Superior Shaman Ga Doo Shim) is a South Korean fantasy mystery web drama that KakaoTV premiered on July 30, 2021, running twelve episodes of about 20 minutes each until October 8, 2021, with new episodes each Friday at 20:00.[1](https://asianwiki.com/The_Great_Shaman_Ga_Doo-Shim) • [2](https://v.daum.net/v/kDeyhvzOtM) It stars [Kim Sae-ron](https://www.edgepedia.org/kim-sae-ron) as Ga Doo-shim, a teenage shaman born into a family of shamans who wants to live an ordinary life, and Nam Da-reum as Na Woo-soo, the school's top student who begins to see ghosts after meeting her.[3](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/The_Great_Shaman_Ga_Doo_Shim) • [4](https://www.soompi.com/article/1481440wpp/director-of-kim-sae-ron-and-nam-da-reums-new-drama-the-great-shaman-ga-doo-shim-shares-reasons-to-tune-in)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Format | KakaoTV original web drama, 12 episodes of roughly 20 minutes, Fridays at 20:00[1](https://asianwiki.com/The_Great_Shaman_Ga_Doo-Shim) • [2](https://v.daum.net/v/kDeyhvzOtM) |
| Run | July 30 to October 8, 2021; the first two episodes premiered together[1](https://asianwiki.com/The_Great_Shaman_Ga_Doo-Shim) • [2](https://v.daum.net/v/kDeyhvzOtM) |
| Leads | Kim Sae-ron as Ga Doo-shim; Nam Da-reum as Na Woo-soo[3](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/The_Great_Shaman_Ga_Doo_Shim) |
| Creative team | Directed by Park Ho-jin and Song Je-yeong; written by Joo Brothers; planned by Kakao Entertainment, produced by Maeis Entertainment[2](https://v.daum.net/v/kDeyhvzOtM) |
| Premise | A girl shaman and a boy who unwillingly sees spirits must safely pass the crisis of their 18th year while solving mysterious deaths at their high school[2](https://v.daum.net/v/kDeyhvzOtM) |
| Genre | Mystery, romance, fantasy, supernatural[3](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/The_Great_Shaman_Ga_Doo_Shim) |
| International reach | iQiyi in Southeast Asia and Taiwan; Viki in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Oceania, and India; Watcha in Korea[2](https://v.daum.net/v/kDeyhvzOtM) |
## Spoilers
### Premise
Ga Doo-shim inherited a spiritual power passed down through her family for generations, but she no longer wants people calling her the daughter of a shaman household. Her grandmother Myo-shim tells her that if she safely passes her eighteenth year, the rest of her life will unfold smoothly, and Doo-shim tries to get through that period with care.[5](https://tv.apple.com/kr/show/%E1%84%8B%E1%85%AE%E1%84%89%E1%85%AE%E1%84%86%E1%85%AE%E1%84%83%E1%85%A1%E1%86%BC-%E1%84%80%E1%85%A1%E1%84%83%E1%85%AE%E1%84%89%E1%85%B5%E1%86%B7/umc.cmc.33tn4l2lstroc3keceb7zxi5m) She transfers to Songyoung High School, one of Korea's prestigious schools, where a student who ranked last in the entire school falls from the building on the day she arrives.[6](https://www.soompi.com/article/1480846wpp/watch-kim-sae-ron-and-nam-da-reum-question-the-truth-behind-a-chilling-case-in-teaser-for-the-great-shaman-ga-doo-shim) • [7](https://tv.apple.com/kr/show/the-great-shaman-ga-doo-shim/umc.cmc.33tn4l2lstroc3keceb7zxi5m?l=en)
Na Woo-soo, the school's first-place student from a wealthy family, gains the ability to see evil spirits after meeting Doo-shim. The two work together to solve the mystery of the school and get through the crisis of their eighteenth year.[2](https://v.daum.net/v/kDeyhvzOtM) • [8](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/56332/the-great-shaman-ga-doo-shim) Early episodes establish the pattern: a deceased grandmother possesses Woo-soo's body to warn of an evil spirit, Woo-soo overcomes his fear of Doo-shim's world, and when his only friend Il-nam falls to the bottom of the class after mock exam results, Doo-shim finally reveals the ability she had desperately wanted to hide in order to fight the spirit threatening him.[7](https://tv.apple.com/kr/show/the-great-shaman-ga-doo-shim/umc.cmc.33tn4l2lstroc3keceb7zxi5m?l=en)
## Themes and intent
The drama frames its horror around academic pressure. Its tagline notion is "You'll die if you're last place in your grade," and a teaser voice warns, "If you want to live, study to death. If you don't want to end up like this guy."[9](https://www.soompi.com/article/1494404wpp/the-great-shaman-ga-doo-shim-writer-shares-praise-for-kim-sae-ron-and-nam-da-reum-explain-how-they-chose-the-plot-and-more) • [6](https://www.soompi.com/article/1480846wpp/watch-kim-sae-ron-and-nam-da-reum-question-the-truth-behind-a-chilling-case-in-teaser-for-the-great-shaman-ga-doo-shim) The writers, Joo Brothers, explained that after reading news reports of students dying by suicide over grades, they decided it was unfair to attribute those deaths to weakness; they treated the deaths as murder by the society, schools, and families that judge children by grades, and materialized that invisible force as an evil spirit that attacks only the school's worst students.[9](https://www.soompi.com/article/1494404wpp/the-great-shaman-ga-doo-shim-writer-shares-praise-for-kim-sae-ron-and-nam-da-reum-explain-how-they-chose-the-plot-and-more)
Director Park Ho-jin described the series as a fantasy exorcism drama set in a school that is really about the growth of two young people finding who they are and where they fit in. He added that the kids fight demons but also push back against adults who pressure them toward economic success, and he hoped the story would spark discussion across generations.[4](https://www.soompi.com/article/1481440wpp/director-of-kim-sae-ron-and-nam-da-reums-new-drama-the-great-shaman-ga-doo-shim-shares-reasons-to-tune-in) The production also positioned the show against adults who represent a grade-obsessed system in which academic standing matters more than friendship, with the duo carving out their own destiny.[2](https://v.daum.net/v/kDeyhvzOtM)
## Cast and production
The main cast pairs two former child actors in lead roles: Kim Sae-ron as Ga Doo-shim and Nam Da-reum as Na Woo-soo, with Moon Sung-geun as Gyeong-pil, the principal of Songyoung High School.[3](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/The_Great_Shaman_Ga_Doo_Shim) • [4](https://www.soompi.com/article/1481440wpp/director-of-kim-sae-ron-and-nam-da-reums-new-drama-the-great-shaman-ga-doo-shim-shares-reasons-to-tune-in) Supporting roles include Yoo Seon-ho as the ghost Hyun-soo, a part he joined on June 24, 2021, along with Bae Hae-sun as Hyo-sim, Yoon Jung-hoon as Il-nam, Lee Ji-won as Su-jeong, and Yun Seok-hwa as Myo-shim, Doo-shim's grandmother.[10](https://discoverasianworld.com/the-great-shaman-ga-doo-shim/) • [7](https://tv.apple.com/kr/show/the-great-shaman-ga-doo-shim/umc.cmc.33tn4l2lstroc3keceb7zxi5m?l=en) Kim Sung-oh voices an evil spirit in episodes 1 through 6.[3](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/The_Great_Shaman_Ga_Doo_Shim)
Park Ho-jin recalled that Kim Sae-ron, whom he had first met around the time of *The Man from Nowhere*, readily agreed when he suggested a short haircut for the role and showed up with one a few days later.[4](https://www.soompi.com/article/1481440wpp/director-of-kim-sae-ron-and-nam-da-reums-new-drama-the-great-shaman-ga-doo-shim-shares-reasons-to-tune-in) The crew included cinematographer Jang Jong-gyeong of *Stranger*, lighting director Yoo Jae-gyu of *The World of the Married* and *Monster*, and editor Oh Sang-hwan of *SKY Castle* and *Itaewon Class*.[2](https://v.daum.net/v/kDeyhvzOtM) The Joo Brothers said they were able to finish filming safely amid COVID-19.[9](https://www.soompi.com/article/1494404wpp/the-great-shaman-ga-doo-shim-writer-shares-praise-for-kim-sae-ron-and-nam-da-reum-explain-how-they-chose-the-plot-and-more)
## Release and reception
Kakao [Entertainment](https://www.edgepedia.org/entertainment) released the show exclusively on KakaoTV from July 30, 2021, opening with episodes 1 and 2 together, and later on the domestic streaming service Watcha.[2](https://v.daum.net/v/kDeyhvzOtM) Internationally, iQiyi carried it in Southeast Asia and Taiwan, and Viki served the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Oceania, and India, which the company presented as bringing a new "K-exorcism" genre to viewers worldwide.[2](https://v.daum.net/v/kDeyhvzOtM) A story-recap video of episodes 1 through 6 posted by the channel Dream Teller in August 2021 passed 1.6 million views.[11](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GkchUABPZ4)
After the finale, the Joo Brothers were asked about a second season. They said there were no concrete plans, though they wanted to tell a story of more evolved evil spirits and more matured main characters.[9](https://www.soompi.com/article/1494404wpp/the-great-shaman-ga-doo-shim-writer-shares-praise-for-kim-sae-ron-and-nam-da-reum-explain-how-they-chose-the-plot-and-more) The show aired within KakaoTV's original lineup, whose cumulative views across 45 titles passed 1 billion in late July 2021, eleven months after the platform's launch.[12](https://sports.khan.co.kr/article/202107260925003)
## References
1. [The Great Shaman Ga Doo-Shim, AsianWiki](https://asianwiki.com/The_Great_Shaman_Ga_Doo-Shim)
2. ["'우수무당 가두심', 유럽·미주·대만·동남아 시청자들도 만난다 [공식]", 이데일리 via Daum, July 30, 2021](https://v.daum.net/v/kDeyhvzOtM)
3. [The Great Shaman Ga Doo Shim, DramaWiki](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/The_Great_Shaman_Ga_Doo_Shim)
4. ["Director Of Kim Sae Ron And Nam Da Reum's New Drama 'The Great Shaman Ga Doo Shim' Shares Reasons To Tune In", Soompi, July 29, 2021](https://www.soompi.com/article/1481440wpp/director-of-kim-sae-ron-and-nam-da-reums-new-drama-the-great-shaman-ga-doo-shim-shares-reasons-to-tune-in)
5. [우수무당 가두심, Apple TV (Korea)](https://tv.apple.com/kr/show/%E1%84%8B%E1%85%AE%E1%84%89%E1%85%AE%E1%84%86%E1%85%AE%E1%84%83%E1%85%A1%E1%86%BC-%E1%84%80%E1%85%A1%E1%84%83%E1%85%AE%E1%84%89%E1%85%B5%E1%86%B7/umc.cmc.33tn4l2lstroc3keceb7zxi5m)
6. ["Watch: Kim Sae Ron And Nam Da Reum Question The Truth Behind A Chilling Case In Teaser For 'The Great Shaman Ga Doo Shim'", Soompi, July 26, 2021](https://www.soompi.com/article/1480846wpp/watch-kim-sae-ron-and-nam-da-reum-question-the-truth-behind-a-chilling-case-in-teaser-for-the-great-shaman-ga-doo-shim)
7. [The Great Shaman Ga Doo Shim, Apple TV (English)](https://tv.apple.com/kr/show/the-great-shaman-ga-doo-shim/umc.cmc.33tn4l2lstroc3keceb7zxi5m?l=en)
8. [The Great Shaman Ga Doo Shim, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/56332/the-great-shaman-ga-doo-shim)
9. ["'The Great Shaman Ga Doo Shim' Writer Shares Praise For Kim Sae Ron And Nam Da Reum, Explain How They Chose The Plot, And More", Soompi, October 19, 2021](https://www.soompi.com/article/1494404wpp/the-great-shaman-ga-doo-shim-writer-shares-praise-for-kim-sae-ron-and-nam-da-reum-explain-how-they-chose-the-plot-and-more)
10. [The Great Shaman Ga Doo Shim: Cast, Plot and Episodes, Discover Asian World](https://discoverasianworld.com/the-great-shaman-ga-doo-shim/)
11. [조회수 1000만 돌파한 카카오TV 오리지널 드라마, Dream Teller, YouTube, August 27, 2021](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GkchUABPZ4)
12. ["카카오TV 오리지널, 누적조회수 10억뷰 돌파", 스포츠경향, July 26, 2021](https://sports.khan.co.kr/article/202107260925003)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Unscripted, reality, and web-native series › Web-native and streaming-original series › Korean and East Asian web series*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license