“Korea is a department store of religion.” No more correct expression than this to describe the religious practice in South Korea.
According to the survey in 2009, there were 288 religious bodies including Buddhism, Christianity and 38 other religions. How did Korea become such a religious plural society, according to their understanding, “peacefully”? It is often believed that religions have been separated from society and politics in modern society and have remained as a personal sphere with modernization. Ulrich Beck questioned these conventional theories of Marx, Weber, and Durkheim; In his two monographs, Risk Society and A God of One’s
Own, he posits religion as an agent of modernization in the world risk society. Religions are not fading out with modernization but the shapes and existence of religions keep changing with it. The bilateral movements of religions and societies are now progressing from the West to the East and vice versa. Having these trends in our minds, our project will examine how religions tangled and co-existed with Korean society historically, socially, and legally.
First, this project will take a historical approach to the religious plurality and the boundaries under colonialism in modern Korea.
During the colonial period in the early 20th century, religions were controlled and realigned by the Japanese Government-General’s policies, and religions were even categorized as “non,” “recognized” and “quasi-“ religions. Christianity and Buddhism obtained their “recognized” status but Confucianism couldn’t. These hierarchical structures of religions during the colonial period in Korea have remained even after its liberation, and have influenced the existence of religions in S. Korea.
Second, we will elucidate the relationship between the Muslim world and S. Korea focusing on the social perception of Islam. It has been little known that Korea has a long history with Islam, especially during the Koryŏ period. Muslims were silent under the Joseon dynasty and colonial period. But in 1977, President Park Chung-hee accepted offers to fund the construction of mosques in Seoul, and there are a few in contemporary S. Korea to accommodate a steadily growing Muslim population in Korea. Thus, this research will explore severances and reconnections between Islam and Korean society, and examine current issues including Muslim women's identity.
Thirds, this project will trace how Korean Christianity perceived the state’s role. With the wave of modernization and westernization, Western religions entered with the ‘modernized’ knowledge in the East like Korea. Also, after the colonial period, Christianity was supportive of the new Korean government in the context of the cold war. In this entanglement, Korean Christianity developed a unique approach to the government and society. Thus, this research will bring a new approach to this time-honored topic, relations between state and church through legalistic and theoretical aspects.