Korean Church Growth

In anticipation of the 100th Anniversary of the founding of the Catholic Times Newspaper, an article in a recent edition featured the growth of Catholicism in Korea.

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.

Authority and Power

In the Korean Catholic Peace Weekly's Philosophy Chat column, the professor shares his thoughts on authority.

According to its dictionary definition, authority is 'a kind of power that exerts influence over others,' which at first glance may appear to be a concept that opposes human autonomy or fundamental freedom. However, philosophically, authority refers to a voluntary and autonomous influence over others based on freedom that entirely excludes coercive oppression or constraint. In this sense, 'authority' is fundamentally distinct from 'power.' Unlike power, which has long been a major topic in philosophy, authority has not been a philosophically recognized concept for very long.

Power is closely related to humans' latent instinctual desires or cravings and inherently involves an externally imposed coerciveness, domination through force, and oppression. In contrast, authority is an active act in which the coercive nature of domination is excluded and internal autonomy is emphasized.

Authority is also distinguished from externally conferred power, such as 'authorization,' which is given through institutions or laws. In that regard, authority does not necessarily manifest through the exercise of authorization, and just as authority can be granted without authorization, authorization can exist without authority. When someone uses authorization or power to coercively demand authority over others, this is referred to as 'authoritarianism' in a negative sense.

The Latin word for authority, 'auctoritas,' is derived from the root 'auctor' (originator) and the verb 'augere' (to increase or enlarge). Etymologically, authority means 'a power firmly guaranteed by the originator.' For this reason, authority today is often demonstrated academically by citing the originator. As seen in the expression 'argumentatio ex auctoritate' (argument from authority), when one expresses or asserts an opinion by accurately understanding and appropriately citing the intent of the originator, this lends authority to their words.

The philosopher who gave special significance to authority was Hans-Georg Gadamer (1900–2002), who laid the foundations of modern philosophical hermeneutics. Gadamer reduces authority to a fundamental issue of understanding and cognition from a hermeneutical perspective.

As seen in the expression 'argumentatio ex auctoritate', the reason why someone's words gain authority is that when a person expresses or asserts their opinion, they accurately grasp the original author's intention and appropriately cite it.

Gadamer (1900–2002), a philosopher who gave special significance to authority and laid the foundation for modern philosophical hermeneutics, reduced authority to a fundamental issue of understanding and cognition from a hermeneutic perspective. He essentially argued that the nature of authority lies in 'recognition' and 'cognition' based on human free reason—in other words, in a post-Enlightenment rationality that acknowledges and obeys the better 'judgment' and 'insight' of others by recognizing one's own limitations. Corresponding to this authority, the precondition of obligation, which we can no longer refuse to acknowledge, exists before individual cognition, and this is none other than the 'tradition' passed down historically. In other words, authority is built upon tradition, which forms the basis of all understanding and truth.

Gadamer's argument does not imply that tradition is absolute truth or that authority automatically exists; instead, it emphasizes that, since understanding is fundamentally grounded in the prejudices of tradition, we need to recognize our own limitations and leap toward a reason that trusts better insights within these constrained conditions.

Today, we witness phenomena across society where authority is undermined by unilaterally prioritizing power and entitlement while ignoring or destroying tradition. To restore healthy, compromised authority, it seems more necessary than ever to engage in personal reflection, introspection, and deeper philosophical contemplation.

What is the Culture of Life?

From the View From the Ark column of the Catholic Times, a Korean parish priest gives the readers some of his thoughts on our present society.  

'The most Korean thing is the most global thing', they say, proudly talking about Korea. The popularity of K-content, such as dramas, movies, music, games, and webtoons, is evident if you visit Central Seoul.

It is not surprising that people take pride in Korea's status to the extent of adding 'K' to every word. On the contrary, it enhances the pride of living in such a country. Foreigners used to ask whether someone was from South Korea or North Korea when they said they were from Korea, but now, instead, they express curiosity about K-pop singers. In no time, Korea has become a well-known country among people around the world.

The Korean people's desire for freedom and democracy has also astonished the world. The first article of the

The Constitution of the Republic of Korea states, 'The Republic of Korea is a democratic republic', and 'The sovereignty of the Republic of Korea resides in the people, and all state authority emanates from the people', which has made K-democracy centered on the basic common sense of all democracies. Korea's modern history, marked by democratization through nonviolent resistance without tolerating violence, is envied by other countries yearning for democracy. It is truly something to be proud of.

On October 10, North Korea held a military parade in Pyongyang to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Workers' Party of North Korea. The parade showcased North Korea's new weapons. Devastating weapons, including the intercontinental ballistic missile. Citizens in Pyongyang cheered as they watched, calling it the proud spirit of Korea capable of neutralizing any enemy....

Meanwhile, broadcasting outlets here in Korea, not wanting to be outdone, continuously introduce the remarkable performance of war weapons such as the KF-21 fighter jet, K2 tank, and many other weapons and their activities in war zones around the world, as sources of great national pride. But is this truly something to be proud of? Can we genuinely celebrate the fact that the war weapons we produce and export are being used as tools of killing in conflict zones around the world, elevating them as a praiseworthy product?

K-defense promotes itself as the flower of peace, claiming to export peace, but ultimately, the places where Korean-made weapons arrive and explode are just scenes of mass killings where precious lives are lost. “There are those who claim that weapon production, as has been known, serves as a guarantee for today's peace and justify it, but peace can never be achieved through the balance of 'force of weapons.' When one country strengthens its weapons, other countries must also possess even more significant amounts of arms..."Consequently, people are living with constant fear. They are afraid that at any moment the impending storm may break upon them with horrific violence. And they have good reasons for their fear, for there is certainly no lack of such weapons."(Pope John XXIII, “Pacem in Terris,” sections 110–111)

The Church’s teaching announced 60 years ago never endorsed the production, sale, or use of weapons. Pope Francis expressed his concerns on January 18 when meeting members of the Verona Catholic Foundation supporting non-profit organizations: “Money creates the greatest value when used for others. Do not forget this. It is very important. But the reality of investments we face today is truly unfortunate. In some countries, the weapons industry has become the most profitable investment. Investing in killing people is indeed nothing short of madness! Such investments can never serve the good of humanity,” he lamented.

While the world may tend to bury everything under worries about daily survival, basing life on the most basic human right to life is, undeniably, a pitiful condition when surrounded by a culture of death. When we turn our sights and steps toward a culture of life that saves everyone without exception, we can live a truly salvific life with greater humanitarian love.

World Day of the Poor

 

The 'Catholic Times reminds us that on November 16, the Sunday before the Solemnity of Christ the King, the Church commemorates the 9th World Day of the Poor. The theme of the Pope Leo’s message for the day, released on the memorial of St. Anthony of Padua, patron saint of the poor (June 13), is “You are my hope” (cf. Ps 71:5).

While preparing articles on the global church, the reporter encountered church activities aimed at helping the poor.

First, news stood out that on November 6, ahead of World Day of the Poor, Pope Leo XIV opened a free laundromat called 'St. Francis’ Laundry of Assisi' in Parma, northern Italy. It was encouraging to hear that Pope Leo XIV is continuing the free laundromat project that began during Pope Francis' papacy.

It is said that the poor and homeless can use the laundromat to wash their clothes and take showers. As Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, the head of the Vatican's Office for Charitable Works, stated, although the free laundromat may not provide significant material help, it can act as a catalyst for the poor to regain their dignity and transform their lives.

Around the same time the free laundromat opened, an article noted that on November 8, Archbishop Alexander Sample of the Archdiocese of Portland, Oregon, released a statement criticizing the Trump administration's continued strict policies against immigrants who came to the U.S. from various countries seeking to escape poverty. In his statement, Archbishop Sample said, 'Even if immigrants do not have the proper documents, they are our brothers and sisters.' This reflects the Catholic Church's spirit of prioritizing the poor. The same article also mentioned protests supporting the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which enforces immigration laws.

Our country also has many poor neighbors and immigrants. Some blame poverty solely on the poor and try to exclude immigrants. As Christians, we should look upon the poor with the heart of the Pope, who created the 'St. Francis’ Laundry of Assisi.'

Usefulness of Uselessness

In the Preciousness of Faith column of the Catholic Peace Weekly, the seminary professor gives us a reflection on Uselessness in his column

Some time ago, he wrote an essay titled “The Usefulness of Uselessness.” Later, he learned that Zhuangzi's Miscellaneous Discourses contain a parable called “The Usefulness of the Useless,” which reaffirmed to him how the Gospel and Eastern classics resonate with each other.

One of life's greatest sorrows is when our efforts go unrecognized. Or when our hard-won achievements crumble into nothingness. Often, we become unconsciously intoxicated by our accomplishments, greed takes root, passion turns to overreach, and when things go wrong, it becomes a heavy burden. We may even feel like we're becoming useless, experiencing a deep sadness. 

As we age, our strength wanes, our minds grow foggy, and we lose confidence. We may feel depressed when no one seeks us out anymore, as if we are becoming unnecessary.

Truthfully, admitting one's own uselessness is no easy task. Conversely, it is also true that the moment one acknowledges their uselessness, they experience great freedom. In that sense, isn't life a school where we learn our own uselessness?

A nun who traveled with him on a pilgrimage to Italy shared that during a complex and heavy journey, she suddenly felt hope and freedom upon seeing the simple bed where Saint Clare passed away. Perhaps true hope isn't something we create, but rather a gift given when we let go of what we possess and our attachments.

Even if I possess nothing and have achieved nothing, if only I could meet God who treasures me just as I am and gazes upon me with love. Even if I am a pitiful being whom no one else notices, if only I could meet the Lord who takes notice of me and holds me in His heart, I would be satisfied with that.

Lately, he often meditates on God's heart, which cares for and watches over the smallest and weakest. “Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:40) Jesus' words remind us that the most important thing in faith is caring for and watching over the weakest.

The smallest and weakest deserve the greatest care and nurturing. This stems not from ‘ideology’ but from the ‘heart’. When we see the smallest and weakest, we feel compassion and a desire to protect them. This is because the ‘image of God’ is imprinted within our hearts.

Seeing a fetus, he recalls that he too was once a fetus. Human beings, helpless creatures who cannot survive without care and are constantly threatened by life's dangers, require unceasing care and nurturing from birth through growth, old age, and death. Jesus too experienced everything human. Conceived in the womb of the Virgin Mary, lying in a manger, He was exposed to all manner of threats and nearly sacrificed to Herod's tyranny. Beginning His public ministry, He reached out to the least, the poor, and the sick. It was to care for the smallest and weakest.

God granted us life to care for the most powerless. Our lives begin in a state of great smallness and weakness, and they end in a state of great weakness. When we are strong and healthy, our task is precisely to care for the smallest and weakest—our past, present, and future selves. And when we stand before the Lord again at life's end, may we be able to say:

“We are useless servants. We have only done our duty.” (Luke 17:10)

Amor Fati —Love of Fate

 

A Korean priest doing pastoral work in Vietnam writes in the Catholic Pusan bulletin about the concept 'Amor Fati,' better known, he says, through the songs of various trot singers. This phrase is Latin for "Love your Fate," a concept popularized by Nietzsche and originating in Stoic philosophy.

The priest reminds us that, as Christians, we have an understanding of God's Providence that differs from that of the Stoics and Nietzsche. It is the belief that everything happening in our lives can fit into God's plans. Therefore, "Amor fati" can be understood not merely as accepting fate, but as loving and trusting the life God has granted us. 

St. Paul says, "We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28). 'God writes straight with crooked lines.' This means that even trials, suffering, and wounds we face eventually bear good fruit through efforts to recognize God's providence. Jesus also prayed in Gethsemane, "Not my will, but yours be done" (Luke 22:42). This was an attitude of not rejecting His own fate but entirely accepting love.

This concept, Amor Fati, as used by the pre-Christian Stoics and by Nietzsche, was not the same, but what is interesting is the trust they both had in accepting their 'fate'. 

The Stoics understood Amor Fati to be a part of a rationally ordered Nature. They followed reason in all that was within their control and paid no attention to irrational feelings outside of their control. This, they considered, was conforming to Nature's rational order.

Stoics believed in a spiritual dimension: a rational, pantheistic Logos governing the universe, and efforts to cultivate virtue and reason show a profound engagement with questions of meaning, purpose, and the Nature of the divine.

Nietzsche rejects this order and is determined to reconcile himself to necessity —a life without meaning or purpose, without unjustified assumptions, without God. Life had no purpose; it was chaotic, and the only response to nihilism was to affirm our own lives and accept existence. We can exist and make life worth living if we ourselves believe it is worth living.

 

Nietzsche thus advises us to practice amor fati because, in the face of a Godless, purposeless, chaotic universe, it is the only valid response to nihilism: only by affirming the story of our own lives can we possibly bear existence. The burden is on us; it cannot be outsourced to teleology — life can only be justified and made worth living if we ourselves believe that it is.  

It is remarkable to see someone accept fate with love, without any belief in life's meaning or order, and without God. This was the understanding of Amor Fati in the life of Nietzsche, who we must remember was brought up in a Christian home, the son of a Lutheran Minister.

Changing Distorted Perceptions

Korean Labor Issues: Correcting Distorted Perceptions is Essential… Article featured in the Catholic Times.

With the ‘Yellow Envelope Law’ set to take effect next March, a shift in the ‘labor’ sector is underway… Legal/institutional improvements and a shift in perception must occur together.

With the so-called ‘Yellow Envelope Law’ (amendments to the Labor Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act) set to take effect next March, along with the enactment and revision of labor-related laws and shifts in government policy direction, a current of change is detectable in the ‘labor’ issues long considered a chronic problem in Korean society.

However, critics point out that legal and institutional changes alone are insufficient in a reality where corporate management culture remains deeply rooted in viewing labor and workers solely through the lens of ‘cost reduction’ and ‘efficiency’. The root of the problem lies in perception.

This distorted perception is not solely a societal issue. The Church, too, sometimes misunderstands solidarity with labor as a political matter or casts a negative view on solidarity groups like labor unions. While the Church has long spoken out to guarantee workers' legitimate rights based on the dignity of labor and to change social perceptions, the reality remains that it often speaks of the value of labor while keeping its distance from the workers themselves, the very subjects of that labor.

Secretary General of the Labor Ministry Subcommittee of the Justice and Peace Commission of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea, stated: “Just as Jesus worked as a carpenter, most of us are workers. We cooperate in God's work of creation and salvation through labor, yet often fail to recognize its true value. Nothing takes precedence over safeguarding the happiness, well-being, and lives of workers and their families. Therefore, it is only natural for the Church to stand with workers.”

The cry of workers simply asking: “Let us work,” remains an ongoing reality. Workers from many of our places of work have lost their jobs and stand on the streets today, hoping for a chance to talk.

Tragedies like the Arisell fire disaster and the death of a Gyeongbu Line train worker would never have occurred if there had been even a shred of recognition for the ‘dignity’ of labor. Yet similar accidents continue to repeat.

Experts trace the roots of these structural problems to the deepening dual structure of the labor market since the 1990s. The reality between large corporations and small-to-medium enterprises, regular and non-regular workers, has even class-based the value of labor itself.

Nevertheless, signs of change are slowly emerging. After much struggle, the Yellow Envelope Law passed the National Assembly, and the Ministry of Employment and Labor announced policy changes to ensure the revised law's implementation. Yet society still calculates labor solely as a cost and treats workers merely as variables of efficiency.

Church experts say improving church members' awareness of labor is as important as labor pastoral activities. A  member of the Seoul Archdiocese Labor Pastoral Committee, emphasized: “When the Church voices concerns on labor issues and other social matters, many believers perceive it as a political act. However, the path of ‘a Church that walks with the poor and vulnerable,’ as Pope Francis has stated, is not about following secular logic but about turning our hearts toward the weak.”

The son of one who died in an accident at an apartment construction site, stated: “I hope people don't view the pain of laid-off workers or the bereaved families of workers killed in industrial accidents as someone else's suffering. Just as the late Bishop Yoo  said: ‘What else can humans do in the face of suffering but grieve and weep together?’ The Church's small acts of comfort become a great source of strength.”

Today, the workplace remains harsh and unforgiving. Yet within it dwells someone's life, someone's family, someone's faith. To reaffirm the dignity of the ‘working human being’ is not merely to discuss workplace issues, but to reexamine human dignity and communal justice.