Korea's Religion, Korea's Protestantism

Korea's Religion, Korea's Protestantism History

Korea was first introduced to the Protestant religion by Western missionaries in the 19th century. In 1884, R.S. Maclay of the Northern Methodist church received permission to establish educational institutions and medical facilities in Korea, which resulted in the building of the first hospital, Jejungwon Hospital, and the first modern school, Baejae Hakdang. When American missionaries, H.G. Underwood (of the Northern Presbyterian Church) and H.G. Appenzeller (of the Northern Methodist Church) visited Korea, they actively organized missionary activities, which further spread Protestant beliefs. During this period, Protestantism was creating a renaissance of sorts, with Protestants espousing liberal thoughts on the issues of equality and women's rights. These views came into direct conflict with more traditional Confucian hierarchical views. As Protestantism became more accepted, the resulting liberalization allowed those oppressed, and even imprisoned, to enjoy new religious freedom. These new-found freedoms came to an end during the Japanese Colonial Period (1910 ~1945) when the Japanese imposed Shintoism on the Korean people and forbade all other religions, resulting in many martyrs. After liberation, in 1945, Korea once again began to experience religious freedom. In 1984, Korea commemorated the 100th anniversary of Protestantism in Korea.

Protestantism in Today's Society

Among those that profess a certain religion, approximately 35% are Protestant, with the other two major religions being Catholicism and Buddhism (statistics from 2005). Branches of the Protestant religion in Korea include the Lutheran, Episcopal, Methodist, and the Presbyterian, just to name a few. Some of the most well-known churches are Yeouido Full Gospel Church, Somang Presbyterian Church, Onnuri Church, and the Sarang Community Church. The Yeouido Full Gospel Church is recognized not only for its large structural size, but also for its approximately 700,000 worshipers. Recently, many churches have started offering sermons in foreign languages along with diverse activities for foreigners every Sunday. Jeong-dong Church, Korea's first protestant church, offers visitors a historical look at Protestantism in Korea. Located behind Deoksugung Palace and designated historic treasure No. 256, this church was built in 1896 in an American-style of architecture.

Prominent Churches

1.Yeoido Full Gospel Church

- Address: Seoul-si Yeongdeungpo-gu Yeouido-dong 11 - Homepage: http://english.fgtv.com/                      (English, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, French, Spanish, Russian, German) - Foreign Language Services, every Sunday: English 11:00 Japancese 14:30 Indonesian 10:30 Chinese 13:30 Spanish 15:00 Russian 15:00   * Church offers internet broadcasts of Sunday's sermons in each language listed      above.

2.Onnuri Church

- Address: Seoul-si Yongsan-gu Seobinggo-dong 241-96 - Homepage: http://www.onnuri.or.kr/ (Korean) - Foreign Language Services, every Sunday: English 16:00 Chinese 13:40 Japanese 14:00

3.Sarang Community Church

- Address: Seoul-si Seocho-gu Seocho 4-dong 1310-16 - Homepage: http://english.sarang.org/ (English, Korean, Japanese, Chinese) - English Services, every Sunday: 10:00, 12:00 and 14:00

4.Somang Presbyterian Church

- Address: Seoul-si Gangnam-gu Sinsa-don 624 - Homepage: http://www.somang.or.kr/ (English, Korean) - English Services every Sunday: 13:30 [source : www.visitkorea.or.kr]