Religion in South Korea

Today, the most followed religion in Korea is Christianity, with 31% of the population following this religion. The main branch of Christianity followed is Protestantism, with 20% of the population, and the second-largest leading branch is Catholicism. South Korea has few government restrictions on religion, but it is hard to know the religion of the people in North Korea, given government censorship. So, this essay will mainly focus on the religions in South Korea.

Christianity was brought to Korea in the late 1700s and expanded during the 1800s by missionaries. It gained popularity when Japan occupied Korea between 1910 and 1945. Since then, the number of Christian followers has grown substantially. In 1900, about 1% of the country’s population was Christian, and more recently, in 2010, three-in-ten South Koreans were Christian. In Korea, Christian missionaries brought educational opportunities to the people living there. Many universities have been founded throughout Korea and were established based on Christian teachings. Interestingly, Korea is about 31% Christian, but in the United States, 71% of Korean Americans are Christian. Protestants have a more subtle way of following their religion, where they often pray silently and worship traditionally. The largest Protestant church in Korea is located in Seoul and is called the Yoido Full Gospel Church. The Catholic Church in South Korea is very community-focused.

The second most followed religion in South Korea is Buddhism, which represents about 16% of the population. It arrived in Korea through the Silk Road and it was the state religion for centuries. For a time in Korea, it was not permitted to build temples inside the walls of cities, so it is common to see Buddhist Temples in the mountains. Today, Buddhism is worshipped through meditation, bowing, and other practices. The Buddhist monks in Korea, like those in many other countries, dedicate their lives to Buddhism for either a period of time or the majority of their lives. They must study teachings, memorize rules, chant, and try to be mindful in everything they do.

It is difficult to know exactly what religion looks like for the people of North Korea, but they are known to have a very controlling, communist government. The people in North Korea are expected to worship their government leaders as god-like figures and not follow other religions. In the past, however, before communist rule, North Korea was made up of mainly Shamanist and Cheondoist followers.

Interestingly, the majority of South Korea’s population is made up of people who do not consider themselves having a religion. About 51% of citizens have no religion. This could be due to the fact that Korea has a very demanding education and work culture.

South Koreans have the freedom to choose which religion they practice, while North Korea has the opposite, with essentially no religious freedom. Although the majority of the people in South Korea choose to have no religion at all, the two main religions in South Korea are Christianity and Buddhism. Together, they form the religious landscape of South Korea.