Christianity around the world

Christianity in South Korea

South Korea has one of the most striking Christian stories in Asia. Its Catholic church was unusual in beginning largely through Korean lay scholars in the late eighteenth century, before foreign priests arrived, and it endured severe persecution. Protestant missions from the 1880s took deep root, and through the twentieth century the church grew dramatically. Today a large share of South Koreans are Christian, and the country sends missionaries around the world.

How Christianity came to Korea

Korea's Catholic beginnings are unusual in the history of missions. In the late eighteenth century Korean scholars encountered Catholic writings brought back from China and began to study and embrace the faith on their own. Yi Seung-hun was baptized in Beijing in 1784 and returned to share it, so that a Christian community formed through Korean initiative before any foreign priest lived among them. This young church faced fierce persecution through the nineteenth century, and thousands were martyred; many are honored today as saints.

Protestant missionaries arrived in the 1880s, among them Horace Underwood and Henry Appenzeller. They founded schools and hospitals and encouraged Korean-led churches and Bible reading. A powerful revival centered on Pyongyang in 1907 gave Korean Protestantism its fervent, prayerful character. Through the hardships of colonial rule and war, the church kept growing.

The church here today

South Korea is now one of the most Christian nations in Asia, with a large Protestant population (Presbyterian, Methodist, Pentecostal, and more) and a substantial Catholic community. Seoul is famous for very large congregations and for early-morning prayer. Remarkably, South Korea has become one of the largest sending countries for Christian missionaries in the world. Faith coexists here with strong Buddhist and secular currents.

If you are seeking here

If you are living in South Korea and quietly wondering about Jesus, you are not alone, and you are welcome. Faith is not a nationality or a family tradition you are locked into or out of; it begins wherever one person turns to Christ and asks. You can start today by reading a Gospel, by praying honestly in your own words, and by finding a community that follows Jesus near you.

Frequently asked questions

Why is Korea's Christian history unusual?

Because its Catholic church began largely through Korean lay scholars in the late eighteenth century, who embraced the faith from Catholic writings before foreign priests arrived, an unusual pattern in mission history.

How did Christianity grow so fast in South Korea?

Protestant missions from the 1880s founded schools and hospitals and encouraged Korean-led churches. A 1907 revival gave the church a fervent, prayerful character, and it grew dramatically through the twentieth century.

Is South Korea a Christian country?

A large share of South Koreans are Christian, both Protestant and Catholic, making it one of the most Christian nations in Asia, though it also has strong Buddhist and secular currents.