Freedom Writer - October 1995

_In_Korea,_world's_largest_churchhas tremendous political clout_

By Ju-lan Kim
	
Over the past century, the world has been witness to the growth of 
Christianity throughout Western and non-Western nations alike.  However, 
few countries can rival the expansion rate demonstrated by South Korea 
during the last several decades. Some within the Christian church 
would herald the spread of the Christian faith in Korea as a remarkable 
achievement.  Yet, one must not forget to examine the full-scope of 
effects that Christianity has had on the native way of life on the 
Korean peninsula.

Religious tradition in Korea had been dominated by Buddhism and Confucianism; 
but, by the end of the 1800's, the number of Catholic followers began 
to escalate.  The late 1800's through the early 1900's was a period 
of great political chaos with the Choson government, the last ruling 
Korean dynasty, falling under the power of Japanese colonization. 
 The government, growing uneasy with the advance of Western influence 
over Asia, began to treat missionaries within their country with hostility. 
 

One major source of conflict was the important long-standing tradition 
in Korea of paying homage to ancestors during the Dan-o festival. 
This practice of expression of ancestral respect had been an extremely 
valued practice in Confucian society.  The Catholic church declared 
this custom to be paganism and converts were banned from taking part 
in the ceremony.  The stand-off between the Confucian Choson dynasty 
and the newly emerging Korean Catholic Church served to escalate the 
fear of cultural disintegration due to Western influences.

In 1910, the Japanese annexed Korea and implemented a harsh cultural 
policy with the intent of  wiping out the Korean sense of identity. 
Publication of Christian writings into Korea's  native language, Hangul, 
allowed the people another means of keeping their language and writings 
alive. This brought together the mission of restoring the Korean government 
and spreading Christianity. By combining these two goals, the missionaries 
were able to manipulate the explosive anger of the Korean people against 
the Japanese for their own gains.

The Christian church experienced tremendous growth, the results of 
which are evident in contemporary Korean society.  Korea, in the span 
of a few short decades, has become the home to the world's largest 
Christian church. The Yoido Full Gospel Church, led by David Yonggi 
Cho, has approximately 750,000 members. David Yonggi Cho is a popular 
speaker among many Christian groups in the United States.  

In Seoul and its surrounding cities, Yoido Full Gospel Church has 
the ability to wield tremendous political power, due to the sheer 
number of its followers.  In recent local government elections, many 
candidates chose to campaign on platforms emphasizing their relationship 
to various religious organizations in Korea. With new parties moving 
into the government, many special-interest groups are now gaining 
access to the channels within the developing bureaucracy. The Christians 
have proven themselves to be well-positioned political figures capable 
of marshaling their followers on any issue they believe action is 
needed.  

Seoul has also been the playground of the well-known Unification Church 
led by Rev. Sun Myung Moon.  With membership circling the globe, a 
fervently faithful following, and a seemingly unending financial supply, 
the Unification Church has been very forward in its attempts to influence 
the politics of the emerging international system, both in its home 
country and abroad.

 In the United States, the Unification Church has been a significant 
contributor to Radical Right.  Using its extensive treasury and its 
establishments in all fifty states, the Unification Church has aided 
presidential, congressional, and local campaigns since the Nixon-era. 
In return, many of the Moon-supported politicians began to push for 
overseas interests that have proven to be very profitable for corporations 
affiliated with the Unification Church. Additionally, the Unification 
Church has shown itself to be a strong lobbyist in favor of a continued 
U.S. military presence in South Korea.

In the years following the Japanese occupation, Korea found itself 
in the unfortunate position of relying upon the U.S. and other countries 
for much needed foreign aid. Economic growth plans called for the 
development of Korea as a primarily exporting nation.Consequently, 
Korea's relationship with the U.S. became very important as investment 
capital and open exportation laws with the U.S. became  Korean priorities. 
By increasing its influence with the United States government, the 
Unification Church has been able to meet many of its own objectives, 
as well as those of its allies.

Many churches in Korea are patterning themselves after the Unification 
Church and the Yoido Full Gospel Church in their efforts to reach 
a wider audience.  The spread of Christianity in Korea has begun to 
have its effects in the international political sphere. The effect 
of religion on government has demonstrated itself to be dangerous 
in Korea where political rifts caused by religion are  becoming more 
commonplace.  Christianity has begun to destroy the Confucian cultural 
foundation upon which Korea was built by threatening the freedom of 
individuals who wish to practice traditional Asian religions.    

_Ju-lan_Kim,_who_recently_visited_Korea,_attends_Simon's_Rock_College_
of_Bard_and_interns_with_IFAS._

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