When Yi Song-gye, founder of the Choson Dynasty, staged a revolt and had himself proclaimed king in 1392, he tried to remove all influences of Buddhism from the government and adopted Confucianism as the guiding principles for state management and moral decorum. As per the 2015 Census, more than half of the South Korean population (56.1%) is irreligious and doesn't affiliate with any religion. [105], According to Andrew Eungi Kim, there was a rise of new religious movements in the late 1900s which account for about 10 percent of all churches in South Korea. In 1884, Horace N. Allen, an American medical doctor and Presbyterian missionary, arrived in Korea. [3] It arrived in Korean peninsula in 372 AD, and has thousands of temples built across the country. According to the Korea Muslim Federation, there are about 100,000 Muslims living in South Korea, and about 70 to 80 percent are foreigners. Population distribution South Korea 2022, by religion. Of the traditional religions, Shamanism, Confucianism, and Buddhism have the oldest roots in traditional Korean culture. Most Roman Catholic Christians fled to South Korea from North Korea and in the decades since the religion has grown. Buddhism is a highly disciplined philosophical religion which emphasizes personal salvation through rebirth in an endless cycle of reincarnation. At the time, it was illegal to proselytize among Korean citizens themselves. The Tripitaka Koreana was produced during this period. One in five South Koreans professes the faith. Some Catholics were executed during the early 19th century, but the restrictive law was not strictly enforced. However, the Russo-Japanese War in 1904 and the Russian Revolution in 1917 interrupted the activities of the mission. The numbers of atheists and people unaffiliated with religion in South Korea is a tricky figure to calculate, as there is considerable overlap between the non-Christian religions in the country, and those who follow Confucianism may not be considered as following a religion, as it is often instead considered to be a philosophy. In 1996 only about five percent of Korea's high schools were coeducational. The introduction of more sophisticated religions like Taoism, Confucianism and Buddhism did not result in the abandonment of shamanistic beliefs and practices. A substantial number of South Koreans have no religion. [citation needed], Islam ( Iseullamgyo) in South Korea is represented by a community of roughly 40,000 Muslims, mainly composed by people who converted during the Korean War and their descendants and not including migrant workers from South and Southeast Asia. Anabaptist peace churches have not gained a strong foothold on the peninsula. Most shamans were women, and certain dances, chants, and herbal remedies marked their beliefs. [49], After[when?] By the 18th century, there were several converts among these scholars and their families. In South Korea, Christianity has grown from 2.0% in 1945 to 20.7% in 1985 and to 29.3% in 2010, And the Catholic Church has increased its membership by 70% in the last ten years. In the early stages of history in Korea, religious and political functions were combined but later became distinct. Japanese Tenriism ( Cheonligyo) also claims to have thousands of South Korean members. Roman Catholic Christians first made contact with Koreans in 1593 when a Portuguese Jesuit priest named Father Gregorious de Cespedes (1551-1611) arrived in Korea to proselytize among the small Japanese community living there. He ended by stating he doesn't believe in God and . The primary religions in South Korea are Christianity and Buddhism, combined comprising of over 50% of the nation, about 46% of the country also. For the best experience, we recommend using a modern browser that supports the features of this website. [6] According to the 2015 census, the proportion of the unaffiliated is higher among the youth, about 69% among the 20-years old.[7]. Religious differences do not signify ethnic differences. [37], During the absorption of Korea into the Japanese Empire (19101945) the already formed link of Christianity with Korean nationalism was strengthened,[11] as the Japanese tried to impose State Shinto, co-opting within it native Korean Sindo, and Christians refused to take part in Shinto rituals. Christianity (Protestantism and Catholicism) and Buddhism are the dominant confessions among those who affiliate with a formal religion. They established schools, universities, hospitals, and orphanages and played a significant role in the modernisation of the country. [16] Otherwise, statistics compiled by the ARDA[17] estimate that as of 2010, 14.7% of South Koreans practice ethnic religion, 14.2% adhere to new movements, and 10.9% practice Confucianism. Sorensen, Clark W. University of Washington. In fact, religious restrictions in South Korea are lower than in the U.S., and significantly lower than the median level of religious restrictions in the Asia-Pacific region. Dog meat is mainly consumed during the summer and by men, who claim that it does wonders for stamina. but it has had a powerful and profound impact on the country's modernization and is one of the main . How Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism complement one another. Its population includes a plurality of people with no religious affiliation (46%) and significant shares of Christians (29%) and Buddhists (23%). South Koreas current president, Park Geun-hye, is an atheist with connections to Buddhism and Catholicism, according to the Council on Foreign Relations. This is a similar situation to the mosque at the Iranian embassy which allows both Sunni and Shia practitioners, although there is not and has never been a Muslim minority in the Korean peninsula. Korean intellectuals historically developed a distinct Korean Confucianism. It has its unique one culture, character, cloth, and food that separate from the countries nearby Korea. [8] The population also took part in Confucianising rites and held private ancestor worship. Readers will meet up with Wook-jin and Yu-na, their local guides, as they explore everything South Korea has to offer. [93], In the 1890s, the last decades of the Joseon kingdom, Protestant missionaries gained significant influence, and led a demonisation of native religion through the press, and even carried out campaigns of physical suppression of local cults. [61], Korean shamanism, also known as "Muism" ( Mugyo, "mu [shaman] religion")[79] and "Sindo" () or "Sinism" ( Singyo "Way of the Gods"). Its population includes a plurality of people with no religious affiliation (46%) and significant shares of Christians (29%) and Buddhists (23%). Some non-denominational churches also exist. For centuries, Korea combined religious diversity with ethnic unity. Cheontae is a modern revival of the Tiantai lineage in Korea, focusing on the Lotus Sutra. [37] Christianity grew significantly in the 1970s and 1980s. In recent decades Korea's Buddhist population has declined due to more Korean's converting to Christianity or becoming atheist or unaffiliated with a religion. With the division of Korea into two states after 1945, the communist north and the capitalist south, the majority of the Korean Christian population that had been until then in the northern half of the peninsula,[12] fled to South Korea. The largest mosque is the Seoul Central Mosque in the Itaewon district of Seoul; smaller mosques can be found in most of the country's major cities. Hundreds of Japanese Shinto shrines were built throughout the peninsula. [113] This policy led to massive conversion of Koreans to Christian churches, which were already well ingrained in the country, representing a concern for the Japanese program, and supported Koreans' independence. Following the Japanese occupation the religion struggled to recover in the face of western influences and the erasing of Korean culture. Korea isn't a particularly religious nation, with only 44% of the population stating they having a faith. [65], The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in South Korea was established following the baptism of Kim Ho Jik in 1951,[66] which had 81,628 members in 2012 with one temple in Seoul. Reprinted by permission. A short introduction to Shinto, Japan's native belief system. It was the first time that a canonization ceremony was held outside the Vatican. The civil service examination of kwag adopted after the Chinese system in the late 10th century, greatly encouraged studies in the Confucian classics and deeply implanted Confucian values in Korean minds. Korean Confucianism has been making a recovery with young, new scholars and has been trying to reevaluate itself within a global context. Choe Je-u (1824-1864) founded the Donghak Movement. [42], The number of Buddhist temples rose from 2,306 in 1962 to 11,561 in 1997, Protestant churches rose from 6,785 in 1962 to 58,046 in 1997, the Catholic Church had 313 churches in 1965 and 1,366 in 2005, Won Buddhism had 131 temples in 1969 and 418 in 1997. Shamanism represents Korea's first religion, the religion of Dangun, the mythical founder of Korea in 2333 B.C.E.. At this time a large number of Jewish soldiers, including the chaplain Chaim Potok, came to the Korean peninsula. The Protestant private schools, such as Yonhi and Ewha schools functioned to enhance nationalist thought among the public. The study also reveals that the demographic of believers and non believers are also affected by many more variables. [59] He established a grass roots lay Catholic movement in Korea. "The Transformation of Confucianism in 20th-century Korea: How it has lost most of its metaphysical underpinnings and survives today primarily as ethical rhetoric and heritage rituals", Koh, Byong-ik. Most Protestant Christians fled to South Korea from North Korea and in the decades since Protestant Christianity had grown rapidly. The U.S. government estimates the total population at 51.6 million (midyear 2019 estimate). The Muslim community is centered in Seoul and there are a few mosques around the country. [citation needed], Jeungsanism ( Jeungsangyo) defines a family of religions founded in the early 20th century[103] that emphasise magical practices and millenarian teachings of Kang Jeungsan (Gang Il-Sun). Keywords Answer (1 of 17): South Korea has two major religions: Christianity and Buddhism. Religion in South Korea. [71] In 2003, Korean Unification Church members started a political party named "The Party for God, Peace, Unification, and Home".[72]. In 1784 Yi Sung-hun (1756-1801) established the first prayer-house in Korea in the city of Pyongyang. Protestant missionaries entered Korea during the 1880s and, along with Catholic priests, converted a remarkable number of Koreans, this time with the support of the royal government which winked at Westernising forces in a period of deep internal crisis (due to the waning of centuries-long patronage from a then-weakened China). Unsupported Browser Detected.It seems the web browser you're using doesn't support some of the features of this site. Buddhism reached Silla only in the 5th century, but it was made the state religion only in that kingdom in the year 552. About Pew Research Center Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. In South Korea, Islam () is a minority religion. Families following Confucius and his teachings firmly believe that the father must take care of the health, shelter, food and marriage of his family members. Modern-day religion in South Korea Although Buddhism and Confucianism remain large religions in the modern society of Korea today, with various different factions of Buddhism being practiced among the South Korean Buddhists, there is another big religion present as well. Other new folk and shamanistic beliefs include Taejonggyo, a religion whose central creed is worshiping Dangun the mythical founder of Korea and Chungsanggyo, which is a religion that focuses on magical practices and the creation of a paradise on Earth. Previous to this sudden change, A Cohort Analysis of Religious Population Change in Korea[48] launched by the Korean Citation Index analyzed Korean religious demographics from 1999 to 2015. Analects of Confucius () are a record conversations between Confucius and his disciples. Official language is Korean. Religion in South Korea. With more than eight and a half million believers, Protestantism as an organized religion ranks second numerically, not far behind Buddhism, but in terms of power and influence, it is unrivalled. In this nation of some fifty million people, half of its population profess to hold religious affiliations. [13] It has been estimated that Christians who migrated to the south were more than one million. During the 1600s, the Silhak school was formed as a response to the uneven balance of power in Korean society, with many Silhak scholars seeing Christianity as giving their beliefs a ideological basis and many of these scholars followed Catholicism and supported its expansion by the 1790s. Here are sixfacts about Christianity in South Korea: 1South Korea has no majority religious group. [36] The royal family supported Christianity. (Among U.S. Catholics, 85% said they have a favorable view of the pontiff.). c) Informal conversation is typical. The Korean Catholic Church grew quickly and its hierarchy was established in 1962. With the division of Korea in 1945, most of the Cheondoist community remained in the north, where the majority of them dwelled. Main languages: Korean Main religions: Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Won Buddhism, Chondogyo, Islam Minority groups include Chinese and religious minorities. It includes three main lines of research: a series of international surveys on religion in various regions; an ongoing demographic study of religion around the world; and an annual coding project that examines restrictions on religion in 198 countries and territories. What is the fastest growing religion in South Korea? In Koguryo, a state university called Taehak-kam was established in 372 and private Confucian academies were founded in the province. Their request was granted, and the development and growth of the Church in Korea began to accelerate. Over time, Buddhism in Korea blended with Korean Shamanism and became Korean Buddhism as it is today. The data from the study focused on understanding religious conversion, switching, or abandonment within the demographic. Neolithic man in Korea had animistic beliefs that every object in the world possessed a soul. According to a 1995 social statistics survey, 50.7 percent of Koreans follow a specific religious faith. [106], Bah Faith was first introduced to Korea by an American woman named Agnes Alexander. In addition to other factors, such as economic status and position in a business . [7], Before the introduction of Buddhism, all Koreans believed in their indigenous religion socially guided by mu (shamans). Along with religious doctrine, these books included aspects of Western learning such as the solar calendar and other matters that attracted the attention of the Choson scholars of Sirhakpa, or the School of Practical Learning. With Buddhism's incorporation into traditional Korean culture, it is now considered a philosophy and cultural background rather than a formal religion. A slight majority of South Koreans have no religion. Confucian rituals are still practised at various times of the year. [87] The mu are mythically described as descendants of the "Heavenly King", son of the "Holy Mother [of the Heavenly King]", with investiture often passed down through female princely lineage. [36], The penetration of Western ideas and Christianity in Korea became known as Seohak ("Western Learning"). [13] Christians who resettled in the south were more than one million. Based on statistics collected by the South Korean administration, about 46.5% of the country's population convey no spiritual preference, 29.3% are Christian (18.3% Protestants and 10.9% Catholics), 22.8% are Buddhist, and the remaining binds to several new religious trends including Cheondoism, Confucianism, Daesunism, Jeungism, Taoism, and