What also floats in water? South Korea and Religion

What also floats in water?

If you said

• bread
• apples
• very small rocks
• cider 
• great gravy
• cherries
• mud

You'd be absolutely correct.  But you forgot: Churches! Churches!

Look at my crown.  Look at it!

I've long considered Korea "Asia's big secret."  As Westerners, we usually have at least a passing knowledge of Japanese and Chinese culture usually gained through some media, most often movies.  A lot of people also have some concept of what they think Southeast Asia is like, even if it's just the word "exotic" (which it is).  But I, and I'm sure the vast majority of others have zero idea about Korean culture, and when you arrive in Korea you come in with only the vaguest of stereotypes which might include

1. Korea is in Asia.  Asians are supposed to be short.  So, Koreans are short
2. Korea is in Asia.  So they probably use chopsticks
3. Korea is in Asia.  So everybody is probably Buddhist

According to the Library of Congress, Buddhists make up 25% of the religious population of South Korea.  What might surprise people who have not traveled to Korea or are living here, is that Christianity is a massive religion in South Korea - it comprises 25% of the religious population as well.  So for every Buddhist, you have a Christian.  However, Christianity is arguably more visible, significant, and powerful in South Korea than any other religious practice.

The temple near my old house in Anseong
at the foot of 비봉산 (Mt. Bibong)

Buddhist temples in Korea that aren't massive tourist traps are traditionally situated in one of two places: either at the foot of a mountain, or on the top of a mountain.  Buddhism is certainly alive and well in South Korea, but it requires one to go seek it out.  That isn't to say you will never see a monk in Korea, because when traveling in large cities like Seoul it isn't out of the ordinary to see a monk or two traveling in the subway.  But Christianity is immensely more visible.

From my apartment right now, I am within 50-100 meters of three churches.  Churches in Korea are large.  And every single one of them is adorned with a neon red cross at the top.  Some even have two steeples with a red cross on each one.  When traveling by taxi from where I live to Suwon, the capital of my province of which my town is a suburb, you spend a few minutes in an area without many buildings and a lot of open land.  In that area, especially at night, one is struck by the sea of red crosses visible in all directions.  I would say that you could not drive for more than ten minutes in a medium sized town without encountering a church.

The Red Cross

Another factor that leads to the visibility of Christianity of Korea is that many branches of Christianity here, especially Jehova's Witnesses, are tenacious in missionizing non-believers.  Here's a few examples.  I had a doctor last year who I visited several times.  During my last appointment with him he formally tried to introduce me to his faith by asking me questions like "Is there a God? What happens when you die? Have you heard of Jesus Christ?"  Please bear in mind this is during an actual medical consultation.  On numerous occasions I have been stopped on the street, preached to, and encouraged to go to church with them.  This most recently happened last week, when a car pulled over alongside me as I was walking on the sidewalk to the gym.  A middle-aged Korean woman tried to get me to go to work and tried to hand me a pamphlet from her car.  Christians have come to my door while I'm cooking breakfast.  In Korea, it is common to advertise your affiliation with your church by attaching your church's placard onto your apartment door.  When I moved into my apartment, one was already affixed to my door and I can't get it off.   

Just another of the many, many ways Korea defies any conventional stereotypes about Asian cultures.