Is there any difference in '악마' and '마귀', meaning 'devil'?

Question

Is there any difference in '악마' and '마귀', meaning 'devil'? Do either of them refer to 'The Devil' in any particular belief system? Are either of them more rooted in Korean traditions?

Answer 1

My first impression from the two words:

악마 is male figure, devil, villain

마귀 is an old female figure (there is an expression마귀할멈:old witch) *귀 means "ghost", "spiritual being"

Answer 2

I would say that 악마 is the more specific devil(or devil-like) figure (the one that tempts humans to do wicked things), but 마귀 is a broader term that represents evil spirits/ghosts or demons in general. However, 마귀 may still be used to refer to the devil. An interesting note is that under the standard dictionary of the National Institute of Korean Language(국립국어원 표준국어대사전), the word 악마 has notes mentioning Buddhism and Christianity, but for 마귀, it only refers to Christianity.