South Korea has a very large Christian population, with around 30% of South Koreans identifying as Christian. This gives South Korea one of the highest percentages of Christians in Asia. So why exactly does this relatively small country on the Korean peninsula have such a high proportion of Christians?
History of Christianity in Korea
Christianity first arrived in Korea in the 18th century with the arrival of Catholic missionaries. Korean elites were intrigued by this new religion and some converted, leading to a nascent Catholic church. However, the Confucian Joseon dynasty saw Christianity as a threat and persecuted early Korean Catholics in waves until the religion was effectively suppressed in Korea by the late 18th century.
Protestant missionaries arrived in Korea in the 1880s and were more successful in garnering converts. American Protestant missionaries were active in building schools, hospitals and universities in Korea, gaining trust and credibility among the population. During the Japanese colonial period, Koreans saw Christianity as an alternative to the forced assimilation into Japanese culture and religion being imposed by the Japanese. By the time of Korean independence in 1945, there were about 300,000 Korean Protestants.
Rapid Growth of Christianity Post-Korean War
The watershed moment for the growth of Christianity in South Korea came with the Korean War in the early 1950s. During this devastating conflict, Christian leaders sided firmly with the South and President Syngman Rhee. Christianity became indelibly associated with Korean nationalism and resistance against communism. By aligning itself with the emerging South Korean state, the church gained influence and credibility.
In the devastation unleashed by the Korean War, South Korean Christians provided food, shelter and other social services to war refugees and orphans. The church became associated with helping ordinary Koreans rebuild their lives after the war’s destruction. This work further amplified the appeal of Christianity.
In the postwar period, South Korea underwent rapid urbanization as people flooded into the cities looking for jobs and opportunity. Many of these were poor newcomers from the countryside, uprooted from their traditional social systems. The church provided new social connections and support for these displaced people.
Attributes of Korean Christianity
There are several unique attributes of Korean Protestantism that help explain why it appealed and spread so rapidly from the 1950s onwards:
- Emphasis on healing and exorcism – Korean church services often involve healing rituals for the sick and rites of exorcism to expel evil spirits. This reflects influences of Korean shamanism.
- Prosperity gospel – Many Korean churches promote the idea that Christian faith will lead to material prosperity and success.
- Strong community – Korean churches provide a new community and social connections for members.
- Strict morality – Korean Protestantism is conservative on matters of morality regarding family, marriage, and gender roles.
- Work ethic – Korean Protestants are known for a strong work ethic, discipline and achievement orientation.
This religious profile resonated strongly with Koreans seeking both spiritual and material fulfillment amid the disruption of the postwar period. Christianity was seen as the ideal religion to not only provide salvation in the afterlife, but also deliver success, status and material wealth in this life.
Christianity and South Korean Development
The rise of Christianity in South Korea correlates with and was influenced by the country’s rapid modernization and development during Park Chung-hee’s rule in the 1960s-1970s. Christians were over-represented among educated, middle-class professionals who led South Korea’s economic development and shift to manufacturing exports.
As well as providing spiritual comfort, Korean churches served as networking platforms for aspiring businessmen and catalyzed productive economic relationships. Due to their ethic of education, achievement, and discipline, Korean Christians were well-positioned to thrive as South Korea industrialized and developed.
The Megachurch Phenomenon
A defining feature of South Korean Christianity is the megachurch. South Korea is home to 11 of the world’s 20 largest megachurches. Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul claims over 500,000 members, making it the largest megachurch on Earth.
Megachurches like Yoido grew rapidly from the 1970s by providing Large, open worship spaces; use of modern technology and media; charismatic, motivational preaching; and a strong focus on healing miracles and prosperity theology. Megachurches project a modern, sophisticated, high-energy image that appealed to middle-class urban South Koreans.
South Korea’s Christian Culture
Beyond just church membership, Christianity has had a deep influence on South Korean social values and culture:
- Christian rites of passage like baptisms, weddings and funerals are extremely popular.
- Many Korean corporations have daily morning Christian worship services.
- Major holidays like Christmas and Easter are celebrated widely, even by non-Christians.
- Christian values regarding family, education, thrift and achievement are mainstream.
- Conservative sexual morality based on Christianity prevails.
In essence, South Korea has developed into a thoroughly Christianized society, where Christian norms and behaviors are mainstream and normalized, even for non-Christians living in a Christian-majority cultural context.
Regional Differences
Another important angle is that Christianity in South Korea shows major regional variations:
| Region | Christian % |
|---|---|
| Seoul | 23.2% |
| Busan | 30.6% |
| Daegu | 47.1% |
| Gwangju | 49.4% |
As these figures show, Christianity has much higher penetration in the southeastern region, with Daegu and Gwangju emerging as Korea’s most Christian metropolitan areas. Busan also stands out for its high percentage of Christians.
In contrast, Seoul and the surrounding northwest region is noticeably less Christian. This may be because the northwest was less disrupted by the Korean War and underwent more steady urbanization and industrialization. Christianity was not as necessary here for rebuilding social connections.
The Role of Regional Revivals
Another reason for the regional variation is that periodic Christian revivals tended to occur in the southeast. In the early 20th century, Pyongyang in the northwest was actually Korea’s Christian center. However, mass revivals in the southeast in the 1920s-30s increased Christianity’s presence there.
Later in the 1970s, the evangelist Cho Yonggi conducted major revivals in the southeast cities of Daegu and Busan, leading to yet more growth of megachurches in that region. The southeast was especially receptive to the emotional, experiential style of Christianity promoted at these mass revivals.
South Korea vs. North Korea
The divergence between South and North Korea also helps explain South Korea’s Christian boom. Pre-division, Pyongyang was actually the center of Korean Christianity, while the southeast was more Buddhist and Confucian.
After the Korean War, Kim Il Sung’s communist regime in the North ruthlessly suppressed Christianity. Christians fled to the South. The vacuum in the North allowed Buddhism to regain dominance, while the refugee influx further boosted Christianity in the South.
So South Korea’s Christianity partly resulted from the partition of the peninsula, with northern Christians fleeing to the free religious environment of the South.
Youth Turning Away from Religion
While Christianity has gained wide mainstream acceptance in South Korea, its future growth is uncertain. Recent surveys show a marked trend of younger Koreans, especially in their 20s, choosing not to identify with any religion. Youth are increasingly secular and materialistic.
Reasons why younger Koreans are turning away from religion include:
- Disillusionment with perceived corruption and hypocrisy in churches
- Rejection of rigid conservative values and morality
- Preference for more modern, hedonistic lifestyles
- Dissatisfaction with pressures within church communities
This generational gap means that while Christianity has carved out a major cultural role in South Korea, moving forward its influence may begin to gradually wane in favor of rising secularism.
Conclusion
South Korea’s exceptionally high rate of Christianity is the product of unique historical circumstances, including the disruptions of the Korean War, rapid modernization, and separation from the communist North. But Christianity resonated so strongly in postwar Korea because it aligned with Confucian ethics of achievement and family values. Looking ahead, Christianity faces challenges in retaining appeal among increasingly secular South Korean youth.