The number of believers in the Korean Church has grown steadily, achieving rapid expansion after surpassing 1 million. Reaching 1,012,209—3.1% of Total Population - As of December 31, 1974.
According to the ‘1974 Statistics on the Catholic Church in Korea' recently compiled and released by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea (CCK), men numbered 420,719, 564,655 women, 5,003 individuals with unconfirmed registration status, and 2,130 baptized military personnel. Compared to 1973, the number of believers increased by 58,410, showing a 6.12% growth rate over the past year. The number of believers now accounts for 3.1% of the total population." (Catholic Times, June 1, 1975)
The number of Catholics in the Korean Church surpassed one million as of December 31, 1974. With an increase of 58,410 members over the year, marking an annual growth rate of 6.12%, it finally surpassed the one million mark. Considering that the number of believers first exceeded 100,000 at the end of 1930 — 44 years earlier — this is a highly significant milestone. It was a moment demonstrating that the Korean Church had entered a phase of substantial growth.
The growth rate in 1973 was 18.7%, but it dropped to 6.12% in 1974, raising questions. While it appeared at first glance that growth had plummeted, this was because the 1973 tally included 'unaccounted-for individuals' added to the total number of believers, resulting in an abnormally high growth rate. From 1974 onward, the rate appeared lower, reflecting only the normal increase without this addition. Even by usual standards, 6.12% is a remarkably high growth rate.
Breaking the 1 million believer mark served as a signal heralding the subsequent rapid expansion of the Church's influence.
It took 44 years to grow from 100,000 to 1 million members, but only 11 years (by the end of 1985) to double that to 2 million. Subsequently, the membership increased from 2 million to 3 million by the end of 1992. Then it surpassed 4 million by the end of 2000, just 8 years later. By the end of 2008, the number exceeded 5 million, and the latest count at the end of 2024 shows approximately 5.99 million believers, approaching 6 million.
A key factor contributing significantly to the increase to one million believers was the sustained high growth rate since the 1950s. Amid accelerating post-war industrialization and urbanization, the establishment of liturgy in the vernacular and the strengthening of the lay apostolate spread following the Second Vatican Council. Diocesan expansion and the establishment of new parishes proceeded rapidly, and catechesis and catechumenate education became systematized.
The rapid quantitative growth of the Korean Church was particularly pronounced in the 1980s. During this period, the annual average growth rate of believers reached 7.54%, rivaling the explosive growth seen in the post-war 1950s. As industrialization and urbanization rapidly advanced amid a solidified divided state, and human alienation and human rights violations proliferated under oppressive rule, the social yearning for the comfort and solidarity offered by religion grew.
Nevertheless, the growth of the Catholic Church at that time was exceptional even compared to other religions, because the Korean Church correctly discerned the signs of the times and faithfully responded to its evangelical and national calling. The Korean Church listened to people's suffering, carried out its prophetic mission, and served as the conscience of the era. Through its dedication to democratization and the pursuit of justice, it worked to defend human dignity. This image became widely known, leading many to join the faith community.
Large-scale events, such as the 1989 Seoul World Eucharistic Congress and Pope John Paul II's two visits to Korea, significantly raised the Church's social profile. As a result, believers reaffirmed their religious pride and dignity, which soon led to an expansion of the Church's membership.
However, since the late 1990s, this favorable image has gradually weakened. A trend of secularization spread throughout society, and signs of declining vitality in faith emerged, including the Church's shift toward the middle class and a decline in Mass attendance. The Church's aging population is also worsening due to the departure of young people.
Looking back at the history of the Korean Church, fluctuations in the number of believers reveal how faithfully the Church lived out its identity as God's people, in accordance with God's will, during that era. Almost without exception, during periods of significant growth, the Church strove to stand with the poor and marginalized, seeking to manifest God's justice. Even amid severe persecution, believers increased because the Church stood with the powerless and suffering.
Conversely, when the Church became detached from the painful realities of the people, growth slowed. We see this pattern in the Church during the Japanese colonial period. People at the time may well have viewed a church that disregarded the suffering of the oppressed nation under Japanese rule as a collaborator with the colonial regime.
However, in the 1950s and early 1960s, when the Church fed the starving and fought against the dictatorship's prolonged rule, the growth rate of believers increased significantly. In the 1970s and 1980s, the Church overflowed with people seeking justice and peace as it engaged in the struggle for democratization against the dictatorship, defended oppressed workers, and dedicated itself to social justice.
In the early 1970s, the Korean Church began actively engaging in the struggle against the dictatorial regime. Tensions and conflicts, which had escalated starting with the 1968 Ganghwa Island 'Simdo Textile' incident, intensified in earnest in 1974—the year the Korean Church surpassed one million believers—with the arrest of Bishop Ji Hak-soon.
