Christianity and Korea

[HeyHomie]

Since the WTC attack, mention has been made of the response by citizens of other nations, which has resulted in memorial services, performances of our national anthem, moments of silence, public prayers, and a host of other tributes. One such tribute that I heard of, and of which I’ve seen a photograph, was of South Korean schoolchildren praying.

Microsoft Encarta® has this to say about religion and South Korea:

In 1995 nearly one-half of the people in South Korea did not profess a religion. Buddhism claimed more adherents (some 10.4 million) than any other religion in South Korea. Confucianism, more a moral philosophy than a religion, is a more prominent element in Korean life than its relatively small number of adherents (0.4 percent of the population) would suggest. Christian missionaries were first permitted in Korea in 1882; by 1995 the Christian population was 11.8 million, three quarters of whom were Protestants. Also important is the Korea-based Unification Church. Other significant influences include Ch’ondogyo, a religion founded in the mid-19th century that fuses elements of Confucianism and Daoism (Taoism).

“Korea, South,” Microsoft® Encarta® Encyclopedia 99. © 1993-1998 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

This begs several questions:
[ul]
[li]To what God, exactly, were these South Korean schoolchildren praying? Are schoolchildren in South Korea expected to pray to their own God at meals, at special occasions, etc.?[/li][li]Considering its relatively high percentage of Christians (one quarter of the population, give or take), does that make South Korea the most “Christian” nation in Asia (excluding Australia, of course)?[/li][li]Are South Korean Christians allowed to practice freely? Is the general public’s attitude toward Christianity similar to that of Japan (it’s a foreign religion whose adherents are treated with hostile indifference)?[/li][li]Does South Korea have a state/official religion? Does its constitution (or whatever) allow freedom of religion?[/li][/ul]

TIA

[walor]

This site may help answer some of your questions. www.mb.com.ph/OPED/Nelly/2001/nv010715.asp

[Mersavets]

*Originally posted by rastahomie *
[li]Considering its relatively high percentage of Christians (one quarter of the population, give or take), does that make South Korea the most “Christian” nation in Asia (excluding Australia, of course)?[/li]

The Philipines are by far the most Christian nation in Asia. Well over 90% of the population is Catholic I think. And by virtue of their size, China or India probably have many more Christians than either South Korea or the Philipines…

[Beruang]

According to the Time Almanac 2000, The Phillipines has a population of 79.3 million, 84% of whom are Christion, for a total of about 66.6 million Christians (mostly Catholics, by the way). India has a population of just over 1 billion, but only 2.4% Christian, or 24 million if I’m doing my math right. China, with one-anda-quarter billion, is “officially athiest,” so good numbers are hard to come by. If it were about 5.5% Christian it would be The Philippines in raw numbers. But given how deeply entrenched Buddhism, Taoism, and Confuscianism (sp?) are, and considering some 50-odd years of state-enforced athiesm, I kinda doubt it.

– Beruang

[MEBuckner]

[ul]
[li]Are South Korean Christians allowed to practice freely? Is the general public’s attitude toward Christianity similar to that of Japan (it’s a foreign religion whose adherents are treated with hostile indifference)?[/li][li]Does South Korea have a state/official religion? Does its constitution (or whatever) allow freedom of religion?[/li][/ul]

From the Constitution of the Republic of Korea (South Korea):

Article 19
All citizens enjoy the freedom of conscience.

Article 20
(1) All citizens enjoy the freedom of religion.
(2) No state religion may be recognized, and church and state are to be separated.

So the official answers, at least, to those questions are “Yes, Christians are allowed to practice freely” and “No, South Korea does not have a state/official religion; freedom of religion is guaranteed by its constitution.”

As to the question of social attitudes towards Christians–well, we have several posters resident in Korea. Probably they could give a better answer than I could just doing Web searches.