You can support Wikipedia by making a tax-deductible donation. Christianity in Korea From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please improve this article if you can. (May 2008) Yoido Full Gospel Church, Seoul The practice of Christianity in Korea has a relatively short history, but after a difficult beginning it has seen significant growth and success. The deeply-rooted traditional religions of Korean shamanism, Buddhism and Confucianism held strong for many centuries and have been challenged by Christianity in a meaningful way only since 1784 when the first Catholic prayer-house was established in Korea. Protestantism followed in 1884, but growth of both sects was slow until the middle of the twentieth century. Since then, a number of factors have encouraged the growth of Christianity in Korean culture, and its growth since the 1960s has been significant enough that the number of adherents to Christianity surpassed that of adherents to the traditional religions. The Korean church has not been entirely free of controversy, but it is still popular, despite recent trends of decline among Korean youth.[1] Contents [hide] * 1 Size and cultural significance * 2 Early history: 1593-1784 * 3 Factors encouraging the growth of Christianity o 3.1 Academic sympathy: The Silhak school o 3.2 Lay leadership o 3.3 Hangul, literacy, and education o 3.4 Parallels in Korean tradition o 3.5 Identification with Korean nationalism o 3.6 Minjung theology o 3.7 Social change o 3.8 Economic success * 4 Controversies * 5 Looking ahead * 6 See also * 7 Sources o 7.1 Numbered references o 7.2 Bibliography * 8 External links Size and cultural significance Prior to the Korean War of 1950–1953, two-thirds of Korean Christians lived in the North, but most subsequently fled to the South.[3] It is not known how many Christians remain in North Korea today, and there is some confusion about the exact number in South Korea as well. It is known that by the end of the 1960s there were barely one million Protestants in South Korea, but during the "Conversion Boom" period ending in the 1980s, the number of Protestants increased faster than in any other country. [4] [5] According to the CIA's World Factbook, Christians and Buddhists today each comprise 26% of the population of South Korea,[2] and other sources claim that about 49% of the population are Christians.[3] The discrepancies arise because a large proportion of the population does not maintain official membership in a specific religion, regardless of the group in which they are active. In 2005, one source showed that about 18% of the population of South Korea professed to be Protestants and around 10% called themselves Roman Catholics,[4] the second highest percentages in Asia. Surveys have shown that South Korean Christians are very active in their religion, quite often exceeding their American counterparts in frequency of attendance at group worship services.[5] Seoul contains eleven of the world's twelve largest Christian congregations. South Korea also provides the world's second largest number of Christian missionaries, surpassed only by the United States. South Korean missionaries are particularly prevalent in 10/40 Window nations that are hostile to Westerners. In 2000, there were 10,646 Protestant South Korean missionaries in 156 countries, along with an undisclosed number of Catholic missionaries. A number of South Korean Christians, including David Yonggi Cho (조용기), senior pastor of Yoido Full Gospel Church, have attained worldwide prominence. Early history: 1593-1784 Christianity was established on Korean soil only after nearly two centuries of failed efforts, and another two centuries passed before Christianity became numerically significant. The first known Christian in Korea was Konishi Yukinaga, who was one of the commanders of the Japanese invasions of Korea in the 1590s. He took a Korean girl later known as Julia Otā (ジュリアおたあ) back to Japan with him and she later became one of the first Korean Christians.[6] Father Gregorious de Cespedes, a Jesuit priest, visited Konishi in Korea in 1593 to work among Japanese expatriates, but he was not permitted to proselytize Koreans.[6] A decade later, however, the Korean diplomat Yi Gwang-jeong (이광정) returned from Beijing carrying a world atlas and several theological books written by Matteo Ricci, a Jesuit missionary to China.[7] He began disseminating the information in his books and from these beginnings the first real seeds of Christianity were sown. Christianity faltered along in Korea over the following two centuries before the Catholic church was finally able to gain a foothold in 1784. Even after this time Korean Christians dealt with persecution and hardship, but persecution has been shown historically to strengthen the faith of believers and increase the influence of the church.[7] Many were martyred, the most famous of whom was Andrew Kim Taegon, who was beheaded in 1846 at the age of 25 for his practice of a foreign religion. Christianity continued to gain adherents despite the persecution, and in 1884 Henry Appenzeller, a Methodist, and Horace Underwood, a Presbyterian, both from the United States, introduced Protestantism to Korea.[8] Factors encouraging the growth of Christianity Academic sympathy: The Silhak school Matteo Ricci's books provoked immediate academic controversy when Yi Gwang-jeong brought them into Korea, and academics remained critical for many years. Early in the seventeenth century, Yi Su-gwang, a court scholar, and Yu Mong-in (유몽인), a cabinet minister, wrote highly critical commentaries on Ricci's works, and over the next two centuries academic criticism of Christian beliefs continued unabated. Some scholars, however, were more sympathetic to Christianity. Members of the Silhak (실학; "practical learning") school believed in social structure based on merit rather than birth (see classism), and were therefore often bitterly opposed by the mainstream academic establishment. Silhak scholars saw Christianity as an ideological basis for their beliefs and were therefore attracted to what they saw as the egalitarian values of Christianity.[9] Thus, when Christianity was finally established in Korea, there was already a substantial body of educated opinion sympathetic to it, which was crucial to the spread of the Catholic faith in the 1790s.[10] An 1801 study indicated that 55% of all Catholics had family ties to the Silhak school.[11] This philosophical sympathy for Christianity among the educated elite greatly facilitated its growth in Korea. Lay leadership Largely as a result of the influence of the Silhak school, Christianity in Korea began as an indigenous lay movement rather than being imposed by a foreign ecclesiastical hierarchy. The first Catholic prayer-house was founded in 1784 at Pyongyang by Yi Sung-hun, a diplomat who had been baptized in Beijing.[12] In 1786, Yi proceeded to establish a hierarchy of lay-priests.[13] Although the Vatican ruled in 1789 that the appointment of lay-priests violated Canon Law, Christianity was introduced into Korea by indigenous lay-workers, not by foreign prelates. Since Christianity began as largely a "grass-roots" effort in Korea, it naturally spread more quickly through the population than it would if it had originated with outsiders with no initial popular support. Hangul, literacy, and education Hangul, a phonemic Korean alphabet invented around 1446 by scholars in the court of King Sejong ,[14][15] was little used for several centuries because of the perceived cultural superiority of Classical Chinese (a position similar to that of Latin in Europe). However, true to its academic legacy, the Catholic church became the first Korean organization to recognize officially the value of using Hangul, and Bishop Berneux mandated that all Catholic children be taught to read it.[16][17] Christian literature printed for use in Korea, including that used by the network of schools established by Christian missionaries, predominantly used the Korean language and the easily-learned Hangul script. This combination of factors not only resulted in a sharp rise in the overall literacy rate, but also enabled Christian teachings to spread beyond the elite, who predominantly used Chinese. As early as the 1780s, portions of the Gospels appeared in Hangul; doctrinal books such as the Jugyo Yoji (주교요지) appeared in the 1790s and a Catholic hymnary was printed around 1800. John Ross, a Scottish Presbyterian missionary in Manchuria completed his translation of the Bible into Korean in 1887 [8] and Protestant leaders immediately began emphasizing its mass-circulation. In addition, they established the first modern educational institutions in Korea.[18] The Presbyterian Paichai School (배재고등학교) for boys was founded in 1885, and the Methodist Ewha School (이화여자고등학교) for girls (later to become Ewha Womans University) followed in 1886. These, and similar schools established soon afterwards, facilitated the rapid expansion of Protestantism among the common people, and in time Protestants surpassed Catholics as the largest Christian group in Korea. As a side effect during this period, female literacy rose sharply, since women had previously been excluded from the educational system.[19] Parallels in Korean tradition The spread of Christianity in Korea was aided by the similarity of certain Christian doctrines with a number of Korean traditions. Unlike prevailing Chinese and Japanese religions of the time, shamanist Koreans had an essentially monotheistic concept of a Creator-God,[20] whom they called Hwan-in or Hanal-nim (하날님) (later also Haneul-nim, 하늘님/하느님, or Hana-nim, 하나님). According to an ancient myth, Hwan-in had a son named Hwan-ung (환웅) who, in turn, had fathered a human son named Tangun in 2333 BC.[21][22][23] According to the story, Tangun founded the Korean nation and taught his people the elements of civilization during his thousand-year reign.[24] There are several variants of this myth, one of which depicts Tangun as having been mothered by a virgin[25]. Some modern theologians have even attempted to explain the Christian concept of the Trinity in terms of the three divine characters in the Tangun myth.[26] These parallels psychologically prepared the Korean people to accept various Christian teachings, such as the incarnation of Jesus. Identification with Korean nationalism One of the most important factors leading to widespread acceptance of Christianity in Korea was the identification that many Christians forged with the cause of Korean nationalism during the Japanese occupation of 1905 through 1945 (comparable to Catholicism in Ireland and Poland). During this period, seven million Koreans were exiled or deported[27] and a systematic campaign of cultural assimilation was attempted. In 1938, even use of the Korean language was prohibited.[28] However, the distinctly Korean nature of the church was reinforced during those years by the allegiance to the nation that was demonstrated by many Christians. Furthermore, while the subsequent constitution of South Korea guarantees freedom of religion as well as separation of church and state, the South Korean government has been favorable overall to Christianity, regarding the religion as an ideological bulwark against Communism. On 1 March 1919, an assembly of thirty-three religious and professional leaders known as the "March 1 Movement" passed a Declaration of Independence. Although organized by leaders of the Chondogyo (천도교) religion, fifteen of the thirty-three signatories happened to be Protestants[29], and many of them were subsequently imprisoned. Also in 1919, the predominantly Catholic pro-independence movement called "Ulmindan" (울민단) (Righteous People's Army)[30] was founded, and a China-based government-in-exile was at one time led by Syngman Rhee (이승만.), a Methodist.[31] Christianity was linked even more with the patriotic cause when Christians refused to participate in worship of the Japanese Emperor, which was required by law in the 1930s.[32][33] Although this refusal was motivated by theological rather than political convictions, the consequent imprisonment of many Christians strongly identified their faith, in the eyes of many Koreans, with the cause of Korean nationalism and resistance to the Japanese occupation. This show of resistance to the occupying nation enabled Koreans to see past the foreign origins of Christianity and accept it as their own. Minjung theology Main article: Minjung theology The Christian concept of individual worth has also found expression in a lengthy struggle for human rights and democracy in Korea. In recent years, this struggle has taken the form of Minjung theology. Minjung theology is based on the "image of God" concept expressed in Genesis 1:26-27, but also incorporates the traditional Korean feeling of han, a word that has no exact English translation, but that denotes a sense of inconsolable pain and utter helplessness. Minjung theology depicts commoners in Korean history as the rightful masters of their own destiny. Two of the country's best known political leaders, Kim Young-sam, a Presbyterian, and Kim Dae-jung, a Roman Catholic, subscribe to Minjung theology.[34] Both men spent decades opposing military governments in South Korea and were frequently imprisoned as a result, and both also served terms as President of the Republic after democracy was restored in 1988. One manifestation of Minjung theology in the final years of the Park Chung-hee regime (1961-1979) was the rise of several Christian social missions, such as the Catholic Farmers Movement and the Protestant Urban Industrial Mission, which campaigned for better wages and working conditions for laborers. The military government imprisoned many of their leaders because it considered the movement a threat to social stability, and their struggle coincided with a period of popular unrest which culminated in the assassination of President Park on October 26, 1979,[35]. However, even this period of turmoil affected the growth of Christianity to the degree that Koreans saw it as a source of stability in a difficult time. Social change Many Korean Christians believe that their values have had a significant positive effect on various social relationships. Traditional Korean society was hierarchically arranged according to Confucian principles under the semi-divine emperor. Women had no social rights,[36] children were totally subservient to their parents,[37] and individuals had no rights except as defined by the overall social system. This structure was radically challenged by the Christian teaching that all men are created in the image of God and thus that every individual has implicit worth. Closely aligned to this concept is an emphasis on the right to own private property.[38] Christians regarded the emperor as a mere man who was as much under God's authority as were his subjects,[39] and Christian values also favored the social emancipation of women and children.[40][41] The church permitted the remarriage of widows (not traditionally allowed in East Asian societies), prohibited concubinage and polygamy, and forbade cruelty to or desertion of wives.[citation needed] Christian parents were taught to regard their children as gifts from God, and were required to educate them.[42] Arranged child marriages and the neglect of daughters (who were often regarded as less desirable than sons in Asian culture) were prohibited.[citation needed] These changes were judged as favourable by many Koreans, who associated them with Christianity, and many became Christians as a result. Economic success South Korea's rapid economic growth in the 1960s and 1970s is usually credited to the policy of export-oriented industrialization led by Park Chung-hee (박정희), who was a devout Buddhist. But many South Korean Christians view their religious faith as a factor in the country's dramatic economic growth over the past three decades, believing that its success and prosperity are indications of God's blessing. It is, of course, difficult to isolate this factor from the effects of other influences such as indigenous cultural values and work ethic, a strong alliance with the United States, and the infusion of foreign capital. A 2003 study by economists Robert J. Barro and Rachel McCleary [43] suggests that societies with high levels of belief in heaven and low levels of church attendance also exhibit high rates of economic growth. Barro and McCleary's model has been influential in subsequent scholarship and, to some observers [44] [45], it supports the belief that Christianity has played a major role in South Korea's economic success. The study has also been criticised by scholars such as Durlauf, Kortellos, and Tan (2006), who argue on statistical grounds that there is little evidence connecting religion and economic growth either directly or indirectly. [46] Any research, however, no matter which side of the issue it supports, is irrelevant to the fact that the confidence of South Korean Christians in the social and economic benefits of their faith has been a factor in the spread of Christianity in South Korea. There is much appreciation in South Korea for the statistical growth, impressive organization, and attractive buildings [47] that are enjoyed by many Christian groups. People quite naturally want to associate themselves with prosperity and success, and insofar as they see Christianity as the source of those things, they will be more likely to accept it as an important influence in their lives. Controversies Despite the general positive environment for Christian activity in South Korea, some church leaders have been criticized for various issues. For example, some have allegedly had extramarital affairs with members of their churches. One such incident was brought to public attention on 1 December 2003, when Jang Hyo-Hee, the leader of the Christian Council of Korea (한국기독교총연합회), Korea's largest Christian organization, jumped to his death from an office block. This was said to have happened because the husband of a woman with whom Jang was allegedly having an affair was trying to enter the room where they had been together. There also have been cases of leaders of large churches passing the leadership of their churches to their sons, an action that is considered inappropriate by many Christians. In addition, the ownership of the church itself is sometimes changed from one such leader to another, like any other business. Among the most extreme cases, Kim Hong-Do, Chief Pastor of Kumran Church at Mangwoo-dong, Seoul, was indicted on charges of fraud and embezzlement in a case involving $3.2 billion on 28 April 2006.[citation needed] He attempted to transfer leadership of his church to his son, who currently serves as Associate Pastor.[citation needed] Some extreme fundamentalist Christians were accused of inflicting damage on Buddhist temples and statues.[9] In one case, fundamentalist Christians vandalized a statue of Dangun, the mythic founder of the Korean nation [10]. Looking ahead South Korea's transition from forty years of authoritarianism (interrupted only once, in the short-lived Second Republic (1960-1961)[48] to a more liberal, democratic regime in 1988 left South Korea's churches facing a new challenge. Their strong stand for human rights and democracy had always been a significant part of their appeal to the Korean population, and had helped facilitate the exponential growth of many churches in the 1970s and early 1980s.[citation needed] With the advent of democracy, which made Christians a part of the mainstream as never before, many Christians feel that the church had become a victim of its own success, as freedom and prosperity lead to widespread complacency and loss of the churches' incisiveness. Church growth tapered off for the first time in decades. One government census puts the number of Protestants at 623,072 (1960), 10,312,813 (1990), and 8,620,000 (2005).[citation needed] Each year over 3,000 small churches are closed.[citation needed] In the same period that Christianity has experienced some decline in South Korea, there has been a strong rise in interest in new religions and in Buddhism.[citation needed] In the early years of the twenty-first century, however, many Christians have expressed a renewed determination to evangelize the nation, with the bold goal of establishing the Korean Peninsula as a bastion of Christianity on the Asian mainland.[citation needed] This vision encompasses North Korea so, given the current economic and political instability in North Korea, South Korean churches are developing contingency plans to mobilize both spiritual and humanitarian resources to aid the North.[citation needed] See also * Roman Catholicism in Korea * Religion in Korea * Korean Orthodox Church * Unification Church * Islam in Korea Sources Numbered references 1. ^ Number of Christians among young Koreans decreases by 5% per year 2. ^ [1] 3. ^ [2] 4. ^ 교회개혁의 새로운 지평을 열어갑니다. 뉴스앤조이 5. ^ Error Occurred While Processing Request 6. ^ Julia Festival, Kozushima, Tokyo Metropolitan Government 7. ^ Evangelical Missions Quarterly - Persecution: A Biblical and Personal Reflection 8. ^ John Ross (1842-1915), Scottish Presbyterian Missionary in Manchuria 9. ^ Research and Reflections by Frank M. Tedesco 10. ^ IHT: Religious peace threatened in South Korea 1. ^ Patrick Johnstone and Jason Mandryk, Operation World, Carlisle, Cumbria, and Waynesboro, GA., 2001, pp. 387-390. 2. ^ CHOI Suk-woo, 'Korean Catholicism Yesterday and Today', Korean Journal XXIV, 8, August 1984, p. 4. 3. ^ KIM Han-sik, 'The Influence of Christianity', Korean Journal XXIII, 12, December 1983, p. 5. 4. ^ Ibid., pp. 6-7. 5. ^ Ibid., p. 6. 6. ^ KIM Ok-hy, 'Women in the History of Catholicism in Korea', Korean Journal XXIV, 8, August 1984, p. 30. 7. ^ CHOI Suk-Woo, pp. 5-6. 8. ^ National Unification Board, The Identity of the Korean People, Seoul, 1983, pp. 132-136. 9. ^ Seoul International Publishing House, Focus on Korea, Korean History, Seoul, 1983, pp. 7-8. 10. ^ Seoul International Publishing House, Focus on Korea, Korean History, Seoul, 1983, pp. 7-8. 11. ^ The Identity of the Korean People, pp. 132-136. 12. ^ Ilyon, tr. HA Tae-hung and Grafton K. Minz, Samguk Yusa, Seoul 1972, pp. 32-33. 13. ^ Marguerite Johnson, 'The Culture', in Pico Iyer (ed.) 'An Ancient Nation on the Eve of a Modern Spectacle: SOUTH KOREA', Time CXXXII, 10, 5 September 1988, p. 48. 14. ^ Ibid., p. 48. 15. ^ Focus on Korea, pp. 7-8. 16. ^ CHO Kwang, 'The Meaning of Catholicism in Korean History', Korean Journal XXIV, 8, August 1984, pp. 20-21. 17. ^ Colin Whittaker, Korea Miracle, Eastbourne, 1988, p. 133. 18. ^ Andrew C. Nah, A Panorama of 5000 Years: Korean History, Seoul, 1983, p. 81. 19. ^ Whittaker, p. 62. 20. ^ Ibid., p. 65. 21. ^ Ibid., p. 63. 22. ^ CHOI Suk-woo, p. 10. 23. ^ Encyclopedia Americana, Vol. 23, Danbury, Conn., 1988, p. 464. 24. ^ CHO Kwang, p. 11. 25. ^ Whittaker, p. 65. 26. ^ Merit Students Encyclopedia, Vol. 10, New York and London, 1980, p. 440. 27. ^ Whittaker, p. 34. 28. ^ CHO Kwang, pp. 20-21. 29. ^ Whittaker, p. 40. 30. ^ KIM Ok-hy, p. 34. 31. ^ CHO Kwang, pp. 16-18. 32. ^ Ibid., pp. 18-19. 33. ^ KIM Han-sik, pp. 11-12. 34. ^ CHOI Suk-woo, p. 7. 35. ^ CHO Kwang, pp. 16-18. 36. ^ Ibid., pp. 18-19. 37. ^ Ibid., pp. 16-19. 38. ^ Michael Lee, 'Korean Churches Pursue Social and Political Justice', in Brian Heavy (Ed.), Accent III, 3 Auckland, May 1988, pp. 19-20. 39. ^ Kessing's Contemporary Archives, London, 25 April 1980, p. 30216. 40. ^ J. Earnest Fisher, Pioneers of Modern Korea, Seoul, 1977, pp. 65-74. See Frank Tedesco's "Questions for Buddhist and Christian Cooperation in South Korea" in Buddhist-Christian Studies 17 (1997). (about the military officers forcing church attendance) Bibliography * Cho, Kwang (August 1984). "The Meaning of Catholicism in Korean History". Korea Journal 24 (8): pp. 14–27. ISSN 0023-3900. http://www.ekoreajournal.net/archive/detail.jsp?BACKFLAG=Y&VOLUMENO=24&BOOKNUM=8&PAPERNUM=2&SEASON=Aug.&YEAR=1984. * Choi, Suk-Woo (August 1984). "Korean Catholicism Yesterday and Today". Korea Journal 24 (8): pp. 4–13. ISSN 0023-3900. http://www.ekoreajournal.net/archive/detail.jsp?BACKFLAG=Y&VOLUMENO=24&BOOKNUM=8&PAPERNUM=1&SEASON=Aug.&YEAR=1984. * Encyclopedia Americana (1986). Vol. 23, Danbury, Conn.: Grolier. ISBN 0-7172-0117-1 (set). * Fisher, J. Earnest (1977). Pioneers of Modern Korea. Seoul: Christian Literature Society of Korea. * Focus on Korea (1986). Vol. 2, "Korean History", Seoul: Seoul International Pub. House. * Ilyon (1972). Samguk Yusa: Legends and History of the Three Kingdoms of Ancient Korea. trans. Tae-Hung Ha and Grafton K. Mintz. Seoul: Yonsei University Press. * Johnson, Marguerite (1988-09-05). "An Ancient Nation on the Eve of a Modern Spectacle". Time. * Johnson, Patrick; and Mandryk, Jason (2001). Operation World: The Definitive Prayer Guide to the Nations, Peoples, and Cities of the World. Colorado Springs, Colo.: Global Mapping International (CD-ROM). * Keesing's (1979). Keesing's Contemporary Archives 25: p. 30216. ISSN 0022-9679. * Kim, Han-Sik (December 1983). "The Influence of Christianity on Modern Korean Political Thought". Korea Journal 23 (12): pp. 4–17. ISSN 0023-3900. http://www.ekoreajournal.net/archive/detail.jsp?BACKFLAG=Y&VOLUMENO=23&BOOKNUM=12&PAPERNUM=1&SEASON=Aug.&YEAR=1984. * Kim, Ok-Hy (August 1984). "Women in the History of Catholicism in Korea". Korea Journal 24 (8): pp. 28–40. ISSN 0023-3900. http://www.ekoreajournal.net/archive/detail.jsp?BACKFLAG=Y&VOLUMENO=24&BOOKNUM=8&PAPERNUM=3&SEASON=Aug.&YEAR=1984. * Lee, Michael (May 1981). "Korean Churches Pursue Social and Political Justice". Accent 3 (3). * Merit Students Encyclopedia (1980). Vol. 10, New York: Macmillan Educational. * Suh, Kuk-sung (et al.) (1983). The Identity of the Korean People: A History of Legitimacy on the Korean Peninsula. trans. Chung Chung. Seoul: National Unification Board. * Whittaker, Colin (1988). Korea Miracle. Eastbourne, Sussex: Kingsway. ISBN 0-86065-522-9. External links * Pressure of Buddhism from Christianity in Korea * Questions for Buddhist and Christian Cooperation in Korea * CIA The World Factbook - Korea, South * Life Church International Community [show] v • d • e Christianity in Asia Sovereign states Afghanistan · Armenia1 · Azerbaijan1 · Bahrain · Bangladesh · Bhutan · Brunei · Burma2 · Cambodia · People's Republic of China · Cyprus1 · East Timor3 · Egypt4 · Georgia4 · India · Indonesia · Iran · Iraq · Israel · Japan · Jordan · Kazakhstan4 · North Korea · South Korea · Kuwait · Kyrgyzstan · Laos · Lebanon · Malaysia · Maldives · Mongolia · Nepal · Oman · Pakistan · Philippines · Qatar · Russia4 · Saudi Arabia · Singapore · Sri Lanka · Syria · Tajikistan · Republic of China5 · Thailand · Turkey4 · Turkmenistan · United Arab Emirates · Uzbekistan · Vietnam · Yemen Dependencies, autonomies, other territories Aceh · Adjara1 · Abkhazia1 · Akrotiri and Dhekelia · Altai · British Indian Ocean Territory · Buryatia · Christmas Island · Cocos (Keeling) Islands · Guangxi · Hong Kong · Inner Mongolia · Iraqi Kurdistan · Jakarta · Khakassia · Macau · Nagorno-Karabakh · Nakhchivan · Ningxia · Northern Cyprus · Palestine (Gaza Strip · West Bank) · Papua · Sakha · South Ossetia1 · Tibet · Tuva · West Papua · Xinjiang · Yogyakarta Italics indicates an unrecognised or partially recognised country. 1 Sometimes included in Europe, depending on the border definitions. 2 Officially known as Myanmar. 3 Sometimes included in Oceania, and also known as Timor-Leste. 4 Transcontinental country. 5 Commonly known as Taiwan. [show] v • d • e History of Christianity Centuries: 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th 13th 14th 15th 16th 17th 18th 19th 20th Jesus & Apostles Background · Timeline · Ministry · Good News · Death & Resurrection · Holy Spirit · Gospels · Acts · The 12 · Paul · Acts 15 Ante-Nicene Church Justin Martyr · Ignatius · Persecutions · Church Fathers · Irenaeus · Marcionism · Canon · Tertullian · Montanism · Origen Christian Empire Constantine · Monasticism · Councils: Nicaea I · Creed · Athanasius · Arianism · Jerome · Augustine · Councils II · III · IV Eastern Christianity E. 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See Terms of Use for details. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a U.S. registered 501(c)(3) tax-deductible nonprofit charity. * Privacy policy * About Wikipedia * Disclaimers Wikipedia is sustained by people like you. Please donate today. Korean American From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Korean American Herbert Choy - Margaret Cho - Harry Kim Harold Hongju Koh - Michelle Wie - Peter S. Kim Total population 1,555,293 0.5% of the US population (2007)[1] Regions with significant populations West Coast, South, New York Metropolitan Area, Hawaii Languages English, Korean Religion Predominant Christian (chiefly Protestant); minority Buddhist Korean American Hangul 한국계 미국인 or 재미교포 Hanja 韓國系美國人 or 在美僑胞 Revised Romanization Hangukgye Migugin or Jaemi gyopo McCune- Reischauer Han'gukkye Migugin or Chaemi kyop'o Korean Americans (Korean: 한국계 미국인, Hanja: 韓國系美國人, hangukgye migugin) are Americans of Korean descent. The Korean American community is the fifth largest Asian American subgroup, after the Chinese American, Filipino American, Indian American, and Vietnamese American communities. The United States is home to the second largest overseas Korean community in the world after China. Contents [hide] * 1 Demographics * 2 History * 3 Politics * 4 Religion * 5 Notable persons o 5.1 Academics o 5.2 Arts o 5.3 Business & Economics o 5.4 Entertainment o 5.5 Journalism o 5.6 Politics o 5.7 Religion o 5.8 Science/Technology o 5.9 Sports * 6 See also * 7 References * 8 External links Demographics As of 2000, there were approximately 1.41 million Korean Americans,[2] with the beginning of Korean immigration to Hawaii (United States), large populations in California (esp. in the Los Angeles and San Francisco metro areas), Alabama, New York, Florida, Georgia, Texas, Washington, Illinois, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, South Carolina, Maryland, Virginia, Oklahoma, North Carolina, Nevada, and Oregon. Los Angeles, with its Koreatown district, is home to the largest population of Koreans outside of Asia. Palisades Park, New Jersey has the highest concentration of people of Korean ancestry in the United States at 36.38% of the population. Georgia is home to the fastest-growing Korean community in the U.S., growing at a rate of 88.2% from 1990 to 2000.[1] According to the statistics of the Overseas Korean Foundation and South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, 107,145 South Korean children were adopted into the United States between 1953-2007.[3] In a 2005 United States Census Bureau survey, an estimated 432,907 Koreans in the U.S. were native-born Americans, and 973,780 were foreign-born. Korean Americans that were naturalized citizens numbered at 530,100, while 443,680 Koreans in the U.S. were not American citizens.[4] History Korean-American football player in Chicago, 1918 In 1884, two American missionaries came to Korea: Henry Appenzeller, a Methodist, and Horace Underwood, a Presbyterian.[2] Emphasizing the mass-circulation of the Bible (which had been translated into Korean between 1881 and 1887 by the Reverend John Ross, a Scottish Presbyterian missionary in Manchuria), the Protestant pioneers also established the first modern educational institutes in Korea.[3] The Presbyterian Paichai School (배재고등학교) for boys was founded in 1885, and the Methodist Ehwa girls' school (이화여자고등학교) followed a year later. These, and similar schools established soon afterwards, facilitated the rapid expansion of Protestantism among the common people, and in time enabled the Protestant faith to overtake Catholicism as the leading Christian voice in Korea. A prominent figure among the Korean immigrant community is Ahn Chang Ho, pen name Dosan, a Protestant social activist. He came to the United States in 1902 for education. He founded the Friendship Society in 1903 and the Mutual Assistant Society. He was also a political activist during the Japanese occupation of Korea. There is a memorial built in his honor in downtown Riverside, California and his family home on 36th Place in Los Angeles has been restored by University of Southern California. The City of Los Angeles has also declared the nearby intersection of Jefferson Boulevard and Van Buren Place to be "Dosan Ahn Chang Ho Square" in his honor. The Taekwondo pattern Do-san was named after him. Another prominent figure among the Korean immigrant community was Syngman Rhee (이승만), a Methodist.[4] He came to the United States in 1904 and earned a Bachelors at George Washington University and a Ph.D from Princeton University. In 1910, he returned to Korea and became a political activist during Japanese occupation of Korea. He later became the first president of South Korea. The first group of Korean laborers came to Hawaii in January 1903 to fill in gaps created by problems with Chinese and Japanese laborers. Between 1904 and 1907 about 1,000 Koreans entered the mainland from Hawaii through San Francisco.[5] Many Koreans dispersed along the Pacific Coast as farm workers or as wage laborers in mining companies and as section hands on the railroads. Picture brides became a common practice for marriage to Korean men. After the annexation of Korea by Japan in 1910, Korean migration to the United States was virtually halted. The Immigration Act of 1924 or sometimes referred to as the Oriental Exclusion Act was part of a measured system excluding Korean immigrants into the US. In 1952 with the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, opportunities were more open to Asian Americans, enabling Korean Americans to move out of enclaves into middle-class neighborhoods. When the Korean War ended in 1953, small numbers of students and professionals entered the United States. A larger group of immigrants included the wives of U.S. servicemen. As many as one in four Korean immigrants in the United States can trace their immigration to the wife of a serviceman. With the passage of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, Koreans became one of the fastest growing Asian groups in the United States, surpassed only by Filipinos. In 1965, the Immigration Act abolished the quota system that had restricted the numbers of Asians allowed to enter the United States. Large numbers of Koreans, including some from North Korea that had come via South Korea, have been immigrating ever since, putting Korea in the top five countries of origin of immigrants to the United States since 1975. The reasons for immigration are many including the desire for increased freedom and the hope for better economic opportunities. A wide range of Korean Americans In the 1980s and 1990s Koreans became noted not only for starting small businesses such as dry cleaners or convenience stores, but also for diligently planting churches, with the same fervor as the early Puritan fathers who came to New England. With fervent piety and hope of that Promised Land, they would venture into abandoned cities and start up businesses which happened to be predominantly African American in demographics. This would sometimes lead to publicized tensions with customers as dramatized in movies such as Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing, and the LA Riots of April 1992. Their children, along with those of other Asian Americans would also be noted in headlines and magazine covers in the 1980s for their numbers in prestigious universities. Favorable economics and education have led to the painting of Asian groups such as the Koreans as a "model minority." A number of U.S. states have declared January 13 as Korean American Day in order to recognize Korean Americans' impact and contributions. Famous Korean-Americans include U.S. Federal judge Herbert Choy, actress/comedian Margaret Cho and professional golfer Michelle Wie. In recent years, ethnic Koreans from Mexico and Latin America (see Korean Mexican and Korean Peruvian) emigrated to the U.S. bringing further diversity to the Korean-American community. There has been an intermingling of Korean and Central American cultures together with increasing ethnic intermarriage between Koreans and Central Americans. Both groups are concentrated in the central section and there is some similarity between the North and South Korean, and Guatemalan or Salvadoran immigrants who came to America for both economic fulfillment and political asylum from communist rule. Among these people with Korean ancestry from Latin America and descendants of Korean and Central American settlers speak Spanish, are Eurasians, and may be raised as Catholic Christians.[citation needed] Politics In a poll from the Asia Times before the 2004 U.S. Presidential Election, Korean Americans narrowly favored Republican candidate George W. Bush by a 41% to 38% margin over Democrat John Kerry, with the remaining 19% undecided or voting for other candidates.[6] In the 2008 U.S. Presidential Election, Korean Americans favored Democrat Barack Obama over Republican John McCain, around 59% to 41%.[7] Religion Korean Americans in America have historically had a very strong fundamentalist and conservative Christian heritage. Between 70% and 80% identify as Christian; 40% of those consist of immigrants who were not Christians at the time of their arrival in the United States. There are an estimated 2,800 Korean Christian churches in the United States, as compared to only 89 Korean Buddhist temples; the largest such temple, Los Angeles' Sa Chal Temple, was established in 1974.[8] Notable persons Main article: List of Korean Americans Academics * Elaine H. Kim, Professor of Asian American Studies at the University of California, Berkeley * Jim Yong Kim, Professor of Medicine and Social Medicine and Chair of the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School, Chief of the Division of Global Health Equity at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Director of the Francois Xavier Bagnoud (FXB) Center for Health and Human Rights, former director of the World Health Organization HIV/AIDS department, co-founder of Partners in Health, 17th president of Dartmouth College * Harold Hongju Koh, lawyer and legal scholar, and Dean of the Yale Law School Arts * Theresa Hak Kyung Cha, poet, artist * Daniel Chun, writer, co-executive producer of The Simpsons * Peter Chung, animator, creator of cult animated TV series Æon Flux * Joe Hahn, member of alternative rock band Linkin Park, multi-platinum and Grammy Award-winner * Richard E. Kim, author of The Martyred and Lost Names * Suji Kwock Kim, poet * Jim Lee, best-selling comic book artist (e.g. X-Men, Batman, Superman) and co-creator (Gen¹³, WildC.A.T.s); co-founder of Image Comics * Karen Lee Orzolek, also known as Karen O, lead singer of the rock band Yeah Yeah Yeahs * Nam June Paik, artist * Greg Pak, writer, director, actor * Ishle Yi Park, poet * Linda Sue Park, author * Jane Jeong Trenka, author of The Language of Blood Business & Economics * Wendy Lee Gramm, economics professor, former chair of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), and wife of former Senator Phil Gramm * David J. Kim, founder of C2 Education, named one of the top 30 young entrepreneurs, by Entrepreneur Magazine. Entertainment * John Cho, actor * Margaret Cho, comedian, fashion designer, actress * Jon Gosselin, co-star of reality TV show Jon & Kate Plus 8 * Daniel Henney, model, actor * Brian Hirano, b-boy/dancer from Quest Crew, the winning team from the 3rd season of America's Best Dance Crew * Victor Kim, b-boy/dancer from Quest Crew, the winning team from the 3rd season of America's Best Dance Crew * Yul Kwon, contestant and the first non-White and the first Asian-American winner of Survivor (Cook Islands) * Bobby Lee, comedian * Will Yun Lee, actor * Soon-Yi Previn, actress, wife of Woody Allen * Brian Tee, actor * Rick Yune, actor, model (first Asian-American model to work for leading fashion labels such as Versace and Polo Sport) Journalism * Alina Cho, CNN correspondent * Michael Kim, ESPN anchor * Corina Knoll, Los Angeles Times reporter Politics * Herbert Choy, U.S. Federal judge * Harry Kim, a former mayor of Hawaii County, Hawaii * Jay Kim, former Republican Congressman from California * Paull Shin, Washington state senator * Sam Yoon, first Asian-American Boston City Councillor Religion * Hae Jong Kim, Bishop of the United Methodist Church Science/Technology * Benjamin W. Lee, theoretical physicist (influenced development of the Standard Model) * Jeong H. Kim, President of Bell Labs * Peter S. Kim, president of Merck Research Laboratories * Mark L. Polansky, NASA Astronaut Sports * Eugene Chung, NFL football player * Richard Park, NHL hockey player * BJ Penn, mixed martial artist * Hines Ward, NFL football player (MVP of Super Bowl XL) * Michelle Wie, professional golfer See also * Asian American * Demographics of the United States * Hyphenated American * Korean adoptees * Korean American writers * Koreans * Koreatown * Koreatown, Chicago * Koreatown, Manhattan * Koreatown, Los Angeles * List of Korea-related topics * List of Korean Americans * Seattle Korean Cultural Festival References 1. ^ S0201. Selected Population Profile in the United States, United States Census Bureau, http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/IPTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=01000US&-geo_id=NBSP&-qr_name=ACS_2007_1YR_G00_S0201&-qr_name=ACS_2007_1YR_G00_S0201PR&-qr_name=ACS_2007_1YR_G00_S0201T&-qr_name=ACS_2007_1YR_G00_S0201TPR&-ds_name=ACS_2007_1YR_G00_&-reg=ACS_2007_1YR_G00_S0201:042;ACS_2007_1YR_G00_S0201PR:042;ACS_2007_1YR_G00_S0201T:042;ACS_2007_1YR_G00_S0201TPR:042&-_lang=en&-redoLog=false&-format=, retrieved on 2008-10-26 2. ^ S0201. Selected Population Profile in the United States, United States Census Bureau, http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/IPTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=01000US&-qr_name=ACS_2005_EST_G00_S0201&-qr_name=ACS_2000_EST_G00_S0201PR&-qr_name=ACS_2005_EST_G00_S0201T&-qr_name=ACS_2000_EST_G00_S0201TPR&-ds_name=ACS_2005_EST_G00_&-reg=ACS_2005_EST_G00_S0201:042;ACS_2005_EST_G00_S0201PR:042;ACS_2005_EST_G00_S0201T:042;ACS_2005_EST_G00_S0201TPR:042&-_lang=en&-redoLog=false&-format=, retrieved on 2007-09-22 3. ^ "Destination by Country, 1953-2007", Statistics on Overseas Koreans, South Korea: Overseas Korean Foundation, 2007, http://oaks.korean.net/n_stastics/StatsProg.jsp?bID=13003, retrieved on 2009-05-31 4. ^ S0201. Selected Population Profile in the United States, United States Census Bureau, http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/IPTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=01000US&-qr_name=ACS_2005_EST_G00_S0201&-qr_name=ACS_2005_EST_G00_S0201PR&-qr_name=ACS_2005_EST_G00_S0201T&-qr_name=ACS_2005_EST_G00_S0201TPR&-ds_name=ACS_2005_EST_G00_&-reg=ACS_2005_EST_G00_S0201:042;ACS_2005_EST_G00_S0201PR:042;ACS_2005_EST_G00_S0201T:042;ACS_2005_EST_G00_S0201TPR:042&-_lang=en&-redoLog=false&-format=, retrieved on 2007-09-22 5. ^ Patterson, Wayne (2000), The Ilse: First-Generation Korean Immigrants in Hawai'i, 1903-1972, Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, pp. 1–11, ISBN 0824822412 6. ^ Lobe, Jim (2004-09-16), "Asian-Americans lean toward Kerry", Asia Times, http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Front_Page/FI16Aa01.html, retrieved on 2008-05-16 7. ^ , http://www.naasurvey.com 8. ^ Suh, Sharon A. (2004), Being Buddhist in a Christian World: Gender and Community in a Korean American Temple, University of Washington Press, pp. 3–5, ISBN 0295983787 External links * Ask A Korean! * Korean-American Ministry Resources (Listing of Korean-American churches) * Korean American History * Arirang - Interactive History of Korean Americans * The Korean American Museum * Korean American Historical Society * KoreAm Journal * AsianWeek: Korean American Timeline * Korean American Heritage Foundation * Korean American Foundation [show] v • d • e Asian Americans East Asian Chinese · Japanese · Korean · Mongolian · Taiwanese Flag of the United States South Asian† Bangladeshi · Indian · Indo-Caribbean · Nepalese · Pakistani · Sri Lankan · Tibetan†† Southeast Asian Burmese · Cambodian · Filipino · Hmong · Indonesian · Laotian · Malaysian · Mien · Thai · Vietnamese Other Afro-Asian · Amerasian · Asian Hispanic and Latino Americans † The US Census Bureau considers Afghanistan a South Asian country, but does not classify Afghan Americans as Asian. †† Otherwise considered Central Asian. 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