Religion 종교
Korea’s Constitution guarantees freedom of religion. According to 1995 statistics, 50.7% of Koreans practice a religion. Among these, 46% state that they are Buddhist, 39% are Protestant, and 13% are Catholic.
[edit] Buddhism 불교
Buddhism came to Korea from China in 372, the second year of the reign of Goguryeo's King Sosurim. Korean Buddhism developed differently according to the period and dynasty. In the Three Kingdoms Period, it spread mainly among the social elite, with the encouragement of the royal family. Many cultural achievements from this period relate to Buddhism, including Bulguk and Seokguram Temples in Gyeongju, as well as numerous statues of Buddha, pagodas, and other temples.
In the Goryeo period, the aristocratic classes actively supported Buddhism and it was at this time that it became the official state religion. It was during this time that printing blocks such as those of the Tripitaka Koreana, recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site, and other advances in Buddhist art and architecture were made.
In the Joseon Period, however, Buddhism was officially rejected. Yi Seonggye, who rebelled against the Goryeo dynasty to found the Joseon dynasty in 1392, adopted Confucianism as the state ideology in order to get rid of Buddhist influence.
Confucianism became the moral standard and operational norm of the state. Later there would be a movement to revive Korean Buddhism. Currently it is undergoing a renaissance as a religion, adjusting to the changes of modern society.
[edit] Protestantism 기독교
Protestantism was first introduced in Korea in an organized manner beginning in 1884, when the American medical missionary Horace N. Allen arrived in the country. He and other missionaries spread the doctrine through medical and educational activities, contributing
significantly to the development of Korean society. Private mission schools such as Yonsei University (founded in 1885) and Ewha Women’s University (founded in 1886), both established primarily by foreign missionaries, served large roles in the uplifting of national consciousness. These educational institutions produced numerous individuals who had been taught a new kind of education, leading to a change in traditional values and the beginning of the collapse of Confucian class society. Missionary activity also played a large part in changing irrational social views from Confucian society, such as superstitions and sexual inequality.
