Religious Beliefs in South Korea
Rank
|
Belief System
|
Share of Contemporary South Korean
Population
|
1
|
|
22.8%
|
2
|
|
18.3%
|
3
|
Traditional Folk or Shamanistic
Beliefs
|
14.7%
|
4
|
New Folk or Shamanistic Beliefs
|
14.2%
|
5
|
|
10.9%
|
6
|
Roman Catholic Christianity
|
10.9%
|
7
|
|
6.7%
|
Resource: By Gregory
Sousa (2017, April 25). ©2018 worldatlas.com
Korean Buddhism
- Buddhism was first introduced to Korea from China in
372 AD during Korea's Three Kingdoms Period.
- Korean Buddhism kept the fundamental teaching of
Buddha, and it absorbed the Korean Shamanism belief of the three spirits of Sanshin,
Toksong and Chilsong. There are special shrine for these spirits in many
Buddhist temples.
- Buddhism was the state ideology under the Goryeo
Kingdom (918-1392) but was very suppressed under the Joseon Dynasty
(1392-1910). During the Japanese occupation of Korea (1910-1945) the Japanese
uplifted the position that Buddhism had in Korea.
- Buddhist temples in South Korea are traditionally
confined to the mountainous regions of the country. In Korean Buddhism, there are six essential practices
includes bowing, Seon (Zen) meditation, Yeombul (recitation of the Buddha’s
name), Mantra practice, and Sutra practice (reading, reciting and transcribing
by hand).
Protestant Christianity
- Protestant Christianity was first briefly introduced
to South Korea in 1832 by German Protestant missionary Karl Gutzlaff
(1803-1851), but it was the second Protestant missionary to ever visit the
country, Welshman Robert Jermani Thomas (1839-1866), who had a lasting impact
that still is felt today.
- Thomas worked as an interpreter on the American
schooner General Sherman and he handed out bibles to the
locals. During the disputed General Sherman incident that happened in July of
1866, the schooner was sunk by the Koreans and Thomas is alleged to have jumped
overboard during the firefight and handed out bibles to angry Koreans watching
on shore before one of them executed him.
- The General Sherman incident was one of the major
events that led to the 1871 States expedition to Korea and
eventually led to the 1882 Treaty of Amity and Trade between Korea and America,
which included a clause that missionaries would be protected.
- The Christian concept of individual worth has found
expression in a lengthy struggle for human rights and democracy in Korea.
Christians regarded the emperor as a mere
man who was as much under God's authority as were his subjects, and Christian
values favored the social emancipation of women and children.
Traditional Folk and Shamanistic Beliefs
- Traditional Korean Shamanism has been around in Korea
since times immemorial, dating back in prehistoric times to at least 40,000 BC.
Korean Shamanism took root within ancient, long forgotten cultures.
- The religion has played a key role since Korean
civilization developed back during the early, mythical part of the founding of
Korea's first kingdom of Gojoseon by Dangun Wanggeom in 2333 BC.
- Before the introduction of Buddhism and Confucianism
traditional Korean Shamanism was the dominant religion in Korea. Historically
the religion has played a role in protecting people from attacks by evil
spirits and helping to assist people to achieve health, peace and spiritual wellbeing.
- There are a number of diverse communities under the
umbrella of Korean shamanism, but like the other shamanic traditions in the
region, they all typically have shamans or priests, a variety of nature gods
and spirits, a complex mix of often shared myths, and rituals that often
involve sacrifice, ancestor worship, divination, and concepts of purity.
New Folk and Shamanistic Beliefs
- Choe Je-u (1824-1864) founded the Donghak Movement.
The goal of Donghak was to reform Korea, revive Confucianism, and drive out
Western influences. Je-u was executed in 1864 but his movement lived on,
culminating in the Donghak Peasant Rebellion (1894-1895).
- In the years following this event the third patriarch
of the Donghak movement, Son Byong-hi (1861-1922), decided to change the name
of Donghak to Cheondogyo, often referred to as Cheondoism, with the goal of
trying to modernize the religion and bring it into a new era.
- King Gojong (1852-1919), the second to last emperor of
the Joseon Kingdom, even adopted the religion and helped to added Buddhist
influences to it to give the religion a formal organizational hierarchy.
- 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.
Korean Confucianism
- Confucianism was first introduced into Korea from
China during the Three Kingdoms period, around the same time that Buddhism was
first introduced into the country. In 372 AD King Sosurim of the Kingdom of
Koguryô (37 BC-668 AD) created what may have been the first Confucian
university in Korea.
- In the Kingdom of Silla (57 BC-935 AD), Confucianism
was at first rejected but it eventually became a force that led to the Silla
Kingdom unifying Korea from 668 to 935. During the Kingdom of Goryeo, Buddhism
was the dominant religion but Neo-Confucianism managed to stick around, grow
and give rise to new ideas.
- Under the Joseon Dynasty Korean Confucianism
flourished, becoming the state religion and embedding its self into many
aspects of Korean live. During the Japanese occupation of Japan, Confucianism
was repressed in favor of promoting the Japanese religion of Shintoism and
uplifting the position of Buddhism.
- Following the Japanese occupation the religion
struggled to recover in the face of western influences and the erasing of
Korean culture. Korean Confucianism has been making a recovery with young, new
scholars and has been trying to reevaluate itself within a global context.
- Key among its ideals are the importance of a virtuous
life, filial piety, and ancestor worship, as well as emphasize on the necessity
for benevolent and frugal rulers with a high moral standing (the importance of
inner moral harmony).
Roman Catholic Christianity
- 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. At the time, it was illegal to proselytize among Korean
citizens themselves. During the 1600s, the Silhak School was formed as a
response to the uneven balance of power in Korean society.
- It was also during the 1600s and 1700s that Roman
Catholic Christianity grew in Korea as a native lay movement that
developed in communal fashion, as opposed to a hierarchical structure. In
1784 Yi Sung-hun (1756-1801) established the first prayer-house in Korea in the
city of Pyongyang.
- Throughout most of the 1800s, Catholics were
persecuted and killed by the Korean government as the Joseon Dynasty did not
accept the religion and saw it as being in direct conflict with Korean
Confucian society.
- Similar to the Protestant Christian community in
Korea, the Roman Catholics were also involved in supporting Korean independence
during the Japanese occupation. The sacraments of Communion and confession are
important in the Roman Catholic Church. Catholics also differ from most
Protestants in emphasizing veneration of the saints, especially Mary, the
mother of Jesus, and seeking the intercession of the saints (praying to them so
that they will in turn pray to God).
Atheism
- 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.
- This is however little stigma or persecution attached
to not being religious in South Korea since non-religious people do not feel
the need to make themselves known.
- South Korea is following the trend of many other
developed nations in that the number of people are say that they are atheist or
unaffiliated with a religious is rising, particularly among young people.
Other
Religions
- Other smaller religious groups in South Korea include Islam,
Hindus, and Jews.
For the most part, many religious groups in South
Korea coexist peacefully, and religious freedom is not only provided for in the
country’s constitution, but is actively protected by the government, with many
religious leaders also actively working to promote religious harmony.
The diversity in religious life makes South Korea now as
rapidly on its way to becoming a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, and
multi-religious society, Korea protects religious diversity by law. People in
Korea are free to lead a religious life according to their own choice and
convictions.
References
