A Brief History of Religion in South Korea

In the 2005 South Korean census, over half of the population 15 years and above claimed to be either Buddhists or Christians.

Not only did the two religious traditions spread into Korea from elsewhere, Christianity was not even present in Korea a little over two centuries ago but now accounts for about 30 per cent of claimed religious adherence, noted anthropologist James H. Grayson in an article titled Korea's Religious Traditions: Analytical Overview (Insight into Korea, Herald Media 2007).

For those who claim to have no religion, most of them were "participants in the traditional (folk) religious practices of the country". This group of people, according to Grayson, would not consider themselves adherents of any religion because a "religion" is "a visible organization with institutionalized practices, such as an order of Buddhism or a Christian domination."

"That the customary religious practices of the nation are not considered to be a "religion" may reflect the traditional Confucian view that both Buddhist and shamanistic practices are pernicious," Grayson wrote.

Other statistics cited by Grayson suggested that while the growth of both Buddhism and Protestantism had declined in recent decades, there had been an increased in the number of Catholics. The increase came mainly from those who had earlier declared themselves to be non-adherents of any religion.

Giving a broad historical overview of religion in Korea, Grayson noted that the period before the fifth century is the pre-Buddhist era, a period "when the primal religion existed on its own."

This was followed by a second era from the fifth to the 14th centuries where Buddhist art, philosophy and religious practices predominated.

The Joseon (or Chosun) Dynasty (1392 – 1910) "represents the pinnacle of Confucian influence, an era in which attempts were made both to create a model Confucian society and to eradicate Buddhism and other "superstitious" practices." This was done by limiting the number of monks, nuns and temples, as well as 16th century attempts to totally eradicate Buddhism. The move had so incapacitated the religion that it did not recover from the ordeal well into the 20th century.

Catholicism began to make its presence felt as early as the 16th century. But from 1800, Catholics experienced severe persecutions, due mainly to their refusal to participate in jesa (or ancestral) rites, seen by the Confucian establishment as a symbol of filial piety and correctness, and to Catholics as idolatrous.

Protestantism, on the other hand, surfaced in Korea before foreign missionaries arrived in 1884. Its missions comprised mainly of American Methodist and Presbyterian, with an initial focus on institutional work such as schools, clinics and hospitals.

The last century is the post-Confucian era, a time when Christianity, especially Protestant Christianity "has had a tremendous impact on the culture of the day – even contributing to the redevelopment of Buddhism."

Interestingly, but perhaps unsurprisingly since this trend can also be observed in other Asian societies, religious adherence and cultural influence are not identical in Korea. For example, someone who identifies himself or herself as a Christian may also be very "Confucian" in his or her outlook.