THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE, Atlantis the legendary city, the Loch Ness Monster and Mystery Circles are just some of the many mysterious occurrences that we have all heard of, but that actually have no scientific evidence of every existing. So why are people so fascinated by them? How could they have actually occurred?
    These magical events have no specific origin, and because these events were discovered a long time after their creation, little is known about them today. The source of these happenings is also uncertain. Several scholars who study unusual phenomenon claim that aliens create them. Others however claim that they are merely myths. However, none of these theories contain any concrete evidence, only supposition. Nevertheless, many people are fascinated with these events, and have! created movements centered around them, and even produce books explaining the story and theories of their creation and existence.
    One of the many ways of explaining these mysterious events is done through conspiracy theories. These are plausible theories used to explain how a strange occurrence could have occurred, and are a way of making it understood by the general public. The "Moon-Landing Hoax" is a very famous conspiracy theory. This theory claims that Neil Armstrong's landing on the moon was actually fabricated, and did not really happen. People who insist that the moon landing did not happen, have analyzed the pictures that were taken on the moon, and claim that there is no proof that the pictures are real. In the pictures there is a flag flapping in the wind, however flags can't move on the moon because there is no air on the moon. They also question the shadows that are spread in all directions in the photo. How is this possible when there is only one sun to produce shadows in only one! direction, not several? This conspiracy theory has made a significant argument.
    Another conspiracy theory is concerned with who really killed John. F. Kennedy. This theory asserts that Kennedy was actually killed by someone else and not by Lee Harvey Oswald, who is known to have killed him. This theory claims that the killer was not Oswald, but someone from the Mafia. These are the two most well known conspiracy theories, but there are many other conspiracy theories around the world.
   What leads people to become fascinated with these kinds of events? Iris, in a Free Forum at Yeungnam University said, these theories are not real but are only created by mass media in order to provoke the public's interest. Oh Soo-Min, a student in the College of Political Science and Public Administration claimed that one of the reasons why people become excited over these mysterious events is because people get satisfaction from drawing their own conclusions and by denying other people's opinions and theories in the process. He also claimed that there are many other reasons, but the major reason is the desire to ful! fill human's curiosity about the unknown. A psychiatrist, Park In-ho said that if this desire to understand the meaning behind strange occurrences is not satisfied, it will explode into a negative form, like a conspiracy theory. Because people generally don't understand mysterious phenomenon, they want to know the truth surrounding strange events. For this reason, people become obsessed with theories, including conspiracy theories that may illustrate in detail or may explain the actual origin of mysterious phenomenon.
   Many unexplained occurrences are now arising in society, but it is wise to enjoy these events instead of becoming obsessed with them. Depending on whom we speak to, these events can be deemed truth, lies or alteration. The only thing we know for certain is the truth is out there.