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The practice of Christianity in Korea is marginal in North Korea, but significant in South Korea, where it revolves around Protestantism and Catholicism, accounting for 8.6 million[1][2] and 5.8 million[3] members, respectively. Christianity in the form of Catholicism was first introduced during the late Joseon Dynasty period by Confucian scholars who encountered it in China. In 1603, Yi Su-gwang, a Korean politician, returned from Beijing carrying several theological books written by Matteo Ricci, an Italian Jesuit missionary to China.[4] He began disseminating the information in the books, introducing Christianity to Korea. In 1787, King Jeongjo of Joseon officially outlawed Catholicism as an "evil practice," declaring it heretical and strictly banned.[5] Catholicism was reintroduced[clarification needed] in 1785 by Yi Seung-hun and French and Chinese Catholic priests were soon invited by the Korean Christians.
Joseon royalty saw the new religion as a subversive influence and persecuted its earliest followers in Korea, culminating in the Catholic Persecution of 1866, in which 8,000 Catholics across the country were killed, including nine French missionary priests. Later in the 19th century, the opening of Korea to the outside world gradually brought more religious toleration toward Christians.
Sorae Church, which was the first Protestant church in Korea, was established by Seo Sang-ryun on 16 May 1883.[6] Lee Soo-jung, one of the first Protestants in Korea, was baptized in Japan on 29 April 1883, and wrote an English article on the Missionary Review of the World to urge more American missionaries to enter Korea on 13 December 1883.[7] Robert Samuel Maclay and Horace Newton Allen entered Korea one year later in 1884. Horace Allen was a North Presbyterian missionary who later became an American diplomat. He served in Korea until 1905, by which time he had been joined by many others.[8] The Anglican Church of Korea can be traced back to 1890, when Charles Corfe, the first bishop of Joseon (Korea) landed in Korea; the first Anglican church in Korea Nae-dong Anglican Church was established in 1891 at Nae-dong, Jung-gu, Incheon.
The growth of Christian denominations was gradual before 1945. In that year, approximately 2% of the population was Christian. Rapid growth ensued after the war, when Korea was freed from Japanese occupation by the Allies: by 1991, 18.4% of the population (8.0 million) was Protestant, and 6.7% (2.5 million) was Catholic.[9] The Catholic Church has increased its membership by 70% in the ten years leading up to 2007.[10] Meanwhile, Eastern Orthodoxy accounts for about 4,000 adherents in South Korea, or 0.005% of the total population. Numerous unorthodox sects, such as the Unification Church founded in 1954 by Sun Myung Moon, have also developed in Korea. As of 2015, 27.6% of the South Korean population is Christian.[11]
The influence on education has been decisive, as Christian missionaries started 293 schools and 40 universities including three of the top five academic institutions. Christianity was associated with more widespread education and Western modernization.[12] Catholicism and Protestantism are seen as the religion of the middle class, youth, intellectuals, and urbanites, and has been central to South Korea's pursuit of modernity and westernization after the end of World War II and the liberation of Korea.[13][14] In the early 21st century, however, the growth of Protestantism has slowed, perhaps due to scandals involving church leadership, fundamentalism, and conflict among various sects. Some analysts also attribute this to overly zealous missionary work.[15]
- ^ According to figures compiled by the South Korean National Statistical Office."인구,가구/시도별 종교인구/시도별 종교인구 (2005년 인구총조사)". NSO online KOSIS database. Archived from the original on 8 September 2006. Retrieved 23 August 2006.
- ^ "International Religious Freedom Report 2008 – Korea, Republic of". U.S. Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. 22 January 2009. Retrieved 31 January 2010.
- ^ "Catholic Church in Korea Statistics 2017". Archived 2018-04-13 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
- ^ Kim Han-sik (1983), p. 5.
- ^ "최초의 천주교 순교자, 부모의 신주(神主)를 불태우다" [The First Catholic Martyr Who Burned His Parents' Ancestral Tablets]. The True Meaning of the Lord of Heaven. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
- ^ "황해도 소래교회 – 한국 최초의 '자생교회'". 인천in 시민의 손으로 만드는 인터넷신문 (in Korean). 26 April 2012. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
- ^ "한국인 첫 기독교 신앙고백과 강연자(1883년)". m.dangdangnews.com (in Korean). Retrieved 1 January 2023.
- ^ Kim, Sang-Hwan (1996). "The impact of early Presbyterian missionary preaching (1884–1920) on the preaching of the Korean church" (M.A. thesis), Wilfrid Laurier University.
- ^ Korean Overseas Information Service, A Handbook of Korea (1993) p, 132
- ^ 한국 가톨릭 태두 정진석 추기경. Naver News (in Korean). 25 July 2007. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
- ^ "6 facts about Christianity in South Korea". 12 August 2014.
- ^ Grayson (2002), p. 169.
- ^ Sukman, Jang (2004). "Historical Currents and Characteristics of Korean Protestantism after Liberation". Korea Journal. 44 (4): 133–156.
- ^ Huntington, Samuel P. (2007). The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order. Simon and Schuster. p. 101. ISBN 978-1-4165-6124-8.
- ^ Moon, S. S. (2008). "The Protestant missionary movement in Korea: Current growth and development". International Bulletin of Missionary Research. 32 (2): 59–64. doi:10.1177/239693930803200202.