Everything about Christianity In Korea totally explained
Over the past few decades, Christianity has increased dramatically in
South Korea. About 18 percent of the population professed to be
Protestants and around 10 percent
Roman Catholics in the year
2005 (External Link
), the second highest in
Asia. The capital of South Korea,
Seoul contains eleven of the world's twelve largest Christian congregations. South Korea is also the world's second largest
missionary (with the United States as the first) nation. Sending South Korean missionaries are particularly prevalent in
10/40 Window nations that are hostile to Westerners. In
2000 there were 10,646 Korean
Protestant missionaries in 156 countries, along with a large but undisclosed number of
Catholic missionaries. The impact of Christianity on the Korean culture has been considerable, and is partly responsible for a steady decline in the membership and influence of
Buddhism,
Shamanism and
Confucianism, which have traditionally had deep roots in Korean culture. A number of Korean Christians, including
David Yonggi Cho (조용기), senior pastor of the colossal
Yoido Full Gospel Church have attained worldwide prominence. The
1984 visit by
Pope John Paul II marked the first canonization ceremony to be held outside of
Rome and the largest number of saints ever to be canonized at one time.
Unless otherwise stated, all references in this article to "Korea," "Korean people," and "Korean church" after
1945 apply to
South Korea only. Prior to the
Korean War of
1950–
1953, two thirds of the country's Christians lived in the North, but most subsequently fled to the South. It isn't known how many Christians remain in the North.
Very few countries have witnessed a dramatic rise in Christianity as it occurred in Korea within a few decades of the twentieth century. According to the CIA factbook, the Christians and Buddhists are each 26% of the population
(External Link). Other sources claim the Christians are about 49%
(External Link). The discrepancy arises because a large proportion of the population doesn't officially adhere to an organized religion. In any case, Christianity has overtaken Buddhism in Korea in four decades during 1960s-1980s "Conversion Boom" period
(External Link). In the 1960s, Korean Protestants barely reached the one million mark. In the next three decades, the number of Protestants increased faster than in any other country
(External Link).
Early failures: 1593-1784
Korea wasn't always a haven for Christians. Christianity was finally established on Korean soil (in
1784) only after nearly two centuries of frustrated efforts, and it wasn't until the Twentieth Century that the Christian presence became numerically significant.
The first known Christian presence in Korea was
Konishi Yukinaga who was one of the commanders of
Japanese invasions of Korea (1592-1598). He took a girl later known as Julia Ota-a to Japan and she became one of the first Korean Christians. Father
Gregorious de Cespedes was a
Jesuit priest who visited Konishi in Korea in
1593 to work among
Japanese expatriates, but he wasn't permitted to proselytize to Koreans. A decade later, however, the Korean diplomat
Yi Gwang-jeong (이광정) returned from
Beijing carrying a world atlas and several theological books written by
Matteo Ricci, a Jesuit missionary to China. Ricci's books provoked immediate academic controversy; early in the seventeenth century,
Yi Su-gwang (이수광; a court scholar) and
Yu Mong-in (유몽인; a cabinet minister) wrote highly critical commentaries on Ricci's works. Over the ensuing two centuries, academic criticism of Christian beliefs continued unabated.
Underpinnings of Christian growth
It may be worth noting here that during the period when Korea was closed to foreigners there was an extremely high number of
martyrdoms of Koreans who were helping Catholic missionaries. One of the most famous is
Andrew Kim Taegon, who was beheaded at the age of 25.
Academic sympathy—the Silhak school
Some scholars were, however, more sympathetic to Christianity. Members of the
Silhak (실학; "practical learning") school were greatly attracted to what they saw as the egalitarian values of Christianity. Advocating a social structure based on merit rather than birth, Silhak scholars (who were often bitterly opposed by the establishment) saw Christianity as providing an ideological basis for their beliefs. Thus, when
Catholicism was finally established in
1784, there was already a substantial body of educated opinion sympathetic to it - which was to prove crucial to the spread of the Catholic faith in the
1790s. An
1801 study indicated that fifty-five percent of all Catholics had family ties to the Silhak school. It is apparent, then, that the first important factor which facilitated the growth of Christianity is that there was already a substantial minority within the educated elite that was sympathetic to it.
Lay leadership
A second important factor is that Christianity in Korea began as an indigenous lay movement, and wasn't imposed by a foreign ecclesiastical hierarchy. The first Catholic prayer-house was founded in
1784 at
Pyongyang (평양 - now the capital of North Korea) by
Yi Sung-hun (이승훈), a diplomat who had been baptized in Beijing. In 1786, Yi proceeded to establish a hierarchy of lay-priests. Although the Vatican later ruled (in
1789) that the appointment of lay-priests violated Canon Law, the fact remains that Christianity was introduced into Korea by indigenous lay-workers, not by foreign prelates.
Parallels in Korean tradition
Thirdly, the Korean churches were able to use and build upon Korean tradition. Unlike the Chinese or Japanese, the Shamanist Koreans had an essentially monotheistic concept of a Creator-God, whom they called
Hwan-in (환인) or Hanal-nim (하날님) (later also Haneul-nim/Haneu-nim 하늘님/하느님 and 하나님). According to an ancient myth, Hwan-in had a son named Hwan-ung (환웅), who, in turn, had fathered a human son named
Tangun (단군) in
2333 BC. Tangun founded the Korean nation and, so the story goes, taught his people the elements of civilization during his thousand-year reign. There are several variants of this myth, one of which depicts Tangun as having been born of a virgin - although this may be a later Christian embellishment. Some modern theologians have even attempted to explain the Christian concept of the
Trinity in terms of the three divine characters in the Tangun myth. Although only a myth, it psychologically prepared the Korean people for the Christian doctrine of the
Incarnation. The ability of the Church to graft Christian theology onto existing beliefs--as it has for the past 2,000 years--has continued to be a crucial factor in its growth.
Use of the Korean alphabet
Fourthly, Christian use of the Korean language and the easily-learned
hangul (한글) script enabled the faith to spread outside the elite (among whom the literary language was
Chinese). More will be said about hangul later, but it should be noted here that the Catholic Church was the first organization to officially recognize its value. As early as the
1780s, portions of the Gospels appeared in hangul; doctrinal books such as the
Jugyo Yoji (주교요지) in the
1790s, and a Catholic hymnary around
1800.
Protestantism and the founding of modern educational institutions
Protestantism wasn't introduced into Korea until
1884, by two Americans:
Henry Appenzeller, a
Methodist, and
Horace Underwood, a
Presbyterian. Emphasizing the mass-circulation of the Bible (which had been translated into Korean between
1881 and
1887 by the Reverend
John Ross, a
Scottish Presbyterian missionary in
Manchuria), the Protestant pioneers also established the first modern educational institutes in Korea. The Presbyterian
Paichai School (배재고등학교) for boys was founded in
1885, and the Methodist
Ehｗa girls' school (이화여자고등학교) followed
a year later. These, and similar schools established soon afterwards, facilitated the rapid expansion of Protestantism among the common people, and in time enabled the Protestant faith to overtake Catholicism as the leading Christian voice in Korea.
Identification with Korean nationalism
Probably the single most important factor leading to the eventual widespread acceptance of Christianity was the identification forged by many Christians with the cause of
Korean nationalism during the
Japanese occupation (1905-1945). In this period, the Korean people suffered greatly; seven million were exiled or deported from their homeland, and a systematic campaign of
cultural assimilation was attempted. In
1938, even the Korean language was prohibited.
On
1 March 1919, an assembly of thirty-three religious and professional leaders passed a Declaration of Independence (
March 1 Movement). Although organized by leaders of the
Chondogyo (천도교) religion, fifteen of the thirty-three signatories happened to be Protestants - many of whom were subsequently imprisoned. 1919 also saw the establishment of the predominantly Catholic
Ulmindan (울민단) ("
Righteous People's Army") - a pro-independence movement, and the establishment of a
China-based government-in-exile by
Seungman Rhee (이승만), a Methodist. But the real catalyst that linked Christianity with the patriotic cause in the eyes of many Koreans was the refusal by many Christians to participate in the
worship of the
Japanese Emperor, which was made compulsory in the 1930s. Although this refusal was motivated by theological rather than political convictions, the consequent imprisonment of many Christians strongly identified their faith, in the eyes of many Koreans, with the cause of Korean nationalism and resistance to the Japanese occupation.
Education and literacy
The early impact of the introduction of Christianity on education has already been mentioned. The promotion of the phonetic and easily learned
Hangul script, through the dissemination of Christian literature and through the network of schools established by Christian missions, resulted in a sharp rise in the literacy rate.
Hangul, although invented as far back as
1446 by scholars in the court of King
Sejong (세종대왕) was little used for several centuries because of the perceived cultural superiority of
Chinese. The Catholic Church was the first organization to officially recognize the value of Hangul, and Bishop Berneux (martyred in
1866) commanded that all Catholic children be taught to read it. Protestant churches, too, made literacy in Hangul a prerequisite for admission to
Holy Communion. Female literacy also rose sharply; women had traditionally been excluded from the educational system.
Possible economic effects
It is commonplace to credit South Korea's rapid economic growth in the 1960s and 1970s to the policy of
export-oriented industrialization led by strongman
Park Chung-hee, who was a devout Buddhist. However, many South Korean Christians view their religious faith as a factor in the country's dramatic economic growth over the past three decades, believing that success and prosperity are indications of God's blessing. There is much appreciation for the statistical growth, impressive organization, and buildings
(External Link). Surveys have shown
(External Link) South Korean Christians are very active in their religion, quite often exceeding their American counterparts in such areas as frequency of attendance at group worship services. Moreover, while the constitution of South Korea guarantees freedom of religion as well as separation of church and state, the government has been favorable to Christianity, regarding the religion as an
ideological bulwark against
Communism. According to
U.S. government figures, about 26% of the population were Christians in 1995
(External Link)while the Religious Yearbook 1995 of a Protestant research group puts the figure at over 40%
(External Link).
A pathbreaking 2003 study by economists Robert J. Barro and Rachel McCleary
(External Link) suggests that societies with high levels of belief in heaven and low levels of church attendance also exhibit high rates of economic growth. To some observers
(External Link),
(External Link), this suggests a correlation which may buttress the contention that Christianity has played a major role in the economic success of the nation. Barro and McCleary's model has been influential in subsequent scholarship, although it isn't without its critics. Durlauf, Kortellos, and Tan (2006), for example, argue on statistical grounds that there's little evidence connecting religion and economic growth either directly or indirectly
(External Link). It is, in any case, difficult to isolate the effects of other influences such as indigenous cultural
values and
work ethic, a strong alliance with the US and the infusion of foreign capital. For example, neighboring Japan has achieved comparable economic strength in parallel with Korea, but with a minuscule proportion of Christians (less than 1% of its population)
(External Link), which doesn't mean that Christianity had no effect in Korea, but does suggest that other features which South Korea shares with Japan may be more important.
Social relationships
Perhaps nowhere have Christian values had a more revolutionary effect than in the area of social relationships. Traditional Korean society was hierarchically arranged according to Confucian principles under the semi-divine emperor. Women had no social rights, children were totally subservient to their parents, and individuals had no rights except as defined by the overall social system. This structure was radically challenged by the Christian teaching that all men are created in the image of God (Genesis 1.26-27) and thus that every individual has implicit worth. Closely lined to this concept was the emphasis on the right to own private property. Christians also regarded the emperor as a mere man as much subject to God as were his own subjects, and were taught to regard the authority of God as being above that of the emperor. The diffusion of Christian values also contributed to the social emancipation of women and children. From its inception in
1784, the Catholic Church permitted the remarriage of widows (not traditionally allowed in East Asian societies), prohibited concubinage and polygamy, and forbade cruelty to or desertion of wives. Catholic parents were taught to regard their children as gifts from God, and were required to educate them. Arranged child marriages, and the neglect of daughters (who, in Asian society were often regarded as less desirable than sons) were prohibited. Nonetheless, in Christian societies of previous centuries, for instance in medieval Europe, such rights of individuals, women, children, and the like, were also much more limited than those of the West of recent centuries. Thus it isn't completely appropriate to compare the Korea of that former time to the West after the Renaissance.
Minjung theology and the human rights struggle
The Christian concept of individual worth has also found expression in a long struggle for human rights and democracy. In recent years, this has taken the form of
Minjung theology. Based on the "Image of God" concept, but also incorporating the traditional Korean doctrine of
han (한) (a word with no accurate English translation, but denoting a sense of inconsolable pain and utter helplessness), Minjung Theology depicts commoners in Korean history as the rightful masters of their own destiny. Two of the country's best known political leaders,
Kim Young-sam (김영삼) and
Kim Dae-jung (김대중) subscribe to Minjung Theology. Both men spent decades opposing military governments in South Korea, and were frequently imprisoned. Kim Young-sam, a Presbyterian, and Kim Dae-jung, a Roman Catholic, each later served terms as President of the Republic after democracy was restored in
1988.
One manifestation of Minjung Theology in the final years of the
Park Chung-hee (박정희) regime (
1961-
1979) was the rise of several Christian social missions, such as the
Catholic Farmers Movement and the (Protestant)
Urban Industrial Mission, which campaigned for better wages and working conditions for farmers and workers. Seeing such movements as a threat to social stability, the military government imprisoned many of leaders in those activities. This struggle coincided with a period of popular unrest which culminated in the assassination of President Park on
October 26,
1979.
Controversies
Some church leaders also have been criticized for various issues. There have been cases that some Christian leaders in Korea have allegedly had
extramarital affairs with members of their churches. For example, one such highly publicized incident occurred on
1 December 2003, when Rev.
Jang Hyo-Hee, the leader of the
Christian Council of Korea (한국기독교총연합회), Korea's largest Christian organization,
jumped to his death from an office block when the husband of a woman with whom Rev. Jang was allegedly having an affair was trying to enter the room where they'd been together. There also have been cases of large church leaders passing on the leadership of their churches to their sons, which is considered inappropriate by many Christians.
Among the worst cases,
Kim Hong-Do, Chief Pastor of
Kumran Church at
Mangwoo-dong, Seoul, was indicted on charges of fraud and embezzlement (3.2 billion won) on
28 April 2006. He is trying to transfer leadership of his church to his son, who currently serves as Associate.
There have also been damages made by some extreme fundamentalists on Buddhist temples, such as damages on Buddhist statues, and there are reported cases that some Christian army officers forcing their subordinates to attend religious services on base whether or not they're Christian. See Frank Tedesco's "Questions for Buddhist and Christian Cooperation in South Korea" in
Buddhist-Christian Studies 17 (1997).
Finally, for many Koreans, the church itself is considered as a business. That is, many unstrict christians make their own churches aiming to receive lots of money from the believers (known as 1/10th of their income). In addition, the ownership of the church itself can be changed from a priest to another (like any other business) considering the number of believers (called heads) of the church who pay regularly to the priest.
Summary
Christianity finally became established on Korean soil only after nearly two hundred years of constant setbacks. Beginning as a lay-movement among
Silhak scholars who saw Christianity as an ideological catalyst for their egalitarian values, the faith managed to assimilate, and be assimilated by, Korean culture, through its ability to make effective use of existing traditions. The distinctly Korean nature of the Church was reinforced during forty years of Japanese occupation by virtue of the imprisonment of many Korean Christians who refused to participate in Japanese emperor-worship. This stand enabled Christian leaders to describe their faith as being no longer a "foreign" religion.
Looking ahead
South Korea's transition from forty years of authoritarianism (interrupted only once, in the short-lived Second Republic (
1960-
61) to a more liberal, democratic regime in
1988, left Korea's churches facing a new challenge. Their strong stand for human rights and democracy had been a significant part of their appeal to the Korean population, and had helped facilitate the
exponential growth of many churches in the
1970s and early
1980s. The coming of democracy, which made Christians a part of the establishment as never before, left many Christians feeling that the Church had become a victim of its own success, as freedom and prosperity led to widespread complacency and a loss of the churches' "cutting edge." Church growth tapered off, for the first time in decades. Government census have put number of Protestants at 623,072 (1960), 10,312,813 (1990), and 8,620,000 (2005). Each year over 3,000 small churches are closed.
In the early years of the twenty-first century, however, many Christians have found a renewed determination to evangelize the nation, with the bold goal of establishing the
Korean Peninsula as a bastion of Christianity on the Asian mainland, and this vision necessarily encompasses North Korea. Furthermore, with a possible economic and political collapse of the North Korean regime looming, the South Korean churches are developing contingency plans to mobilize both spiritual and humanitarian resources to aid the North.
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