Catholicism on the Korean Peninsula and Its Significance for the Spread of Christianity

Abstract

This study examines the emergence of Catholicism in Korea and its social significance from the late eighteenth century to the mid-twentieth century. It analyzes how the Catholic faith took root in the Neo-Confucian society of the Joseon period, with particular attention to its uniquely lay-initiated spread. The study presents the social impact of the religion’s egalitarian message, the reasons for the emergence of persecution, and the role of Catholicism in the ideological and political transformations during Japanese rule and in the aftermath of the Korean War. It argues that, over the long term, Korean Catholicism gave rise to enduring cultural and religious patterns on the peninsula.