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Serving Students at Santa Ana College and Santiago Canyon College SOUTH KOREA Religion

Religions: Christian 49%, Buddhist 47%, Confucianist 3%, Shamanist, Chondogyo (Religion of the Heavenly Way), and other 1% 

Dominant religions include Christianity, Buddhism, Shamanism (spirit worship), Confucianism, and Chondogyo (religion of the heavenly way).  Chondogyo is a native religion founded in the mid-19th century that fuses elements of Confucianism and Christianity (more than 1 million).  While there are many religions in Korea, Confucianism exerts the strongest influence on society.  It is not a religion centered around the worship of a supreme deity, but a rigid ethical and moral system that governs all relationships.  It was established by Confucius, a Chinese scholar and statesman who lived during Chinese feudal times over 2,000 years ago.

Historically the Korean people have believed in Confucianism, these beliefs have affected the way they interact, their family and business relationships.  The derived highly authoritarian, male-dominated system is reflected in the paternalistic and male-dominated Korean culture.  Beliefs in Confucianism greatly effects the everyday duties of the Korean population.  A family oriented society, many Koreans believe that there are certain reciprocal responsibilities that have to be carried out in relationships. These are the relationship between husband and wife, father and son, elder to younger brother, friends, ruler and servant.  Age is equivalent to rank and, like many Asians, Koreans tend to be fiercely respectful of their elders.  Virtuous behavior is of the utmost importance and it is important to remember that the actions of an individual will be seen to reflect on the entire family.

Christian missionaries arrived in Korea as early as the 16th century, but it was not until the 19th century that they founded schools, hospitals, and other modern institutions throughout the country.

Christianity is now one of Korea's largest religions. In 1993, nearly 10.5 million Koreans, or 24% of the population, were Christians (about 76% of them Protestant)--the largest figure for any East Asian country, except the Philippines.