oldest religion, originally called Ko Shin Do (Koh Sheen Doh), or “The Way of the Gods,” is now officially called Tae Jong Gyo (Tay Johng G’yoh), which translates as “old religion.” Tae Jong Gyo incorporates Korea’s creation myth, which says that Tangun, the legendary founder of the Korean race, became a great teacher and lawgiver who reigned over the people of Korea until he ascended into heaven.
Early Koreans offered prayers to the sajik (sah-jeek), or “gods,” of the land and harvests before sajiktan (sah-jeek-tahn), or “god altars.” This eventually resulted in the so-called “Founder’s Altar,” a system under which new tribal chieftains and later incoming kings offered their prayers. These altars eventually evolved into shrines where shamanist rituals were conducted.
Buddhism was “officially” introduced into Korea in A.D. 372. By the time the Shilla kingdom had unified the Korean peninsula under its rule in A.D. 668, Buddhism was already generally accepted as the national religion. During the following Koryo dynasty (918-1392) Buddhist monks became politicians, courtiers, and warriors, usurping much of the power of the court and causing a steady decline in private as well as public morality. The more wealth and power Buddhist monks achieved, the more corrupt they became.
Ultimately those who opposed the corrupt government and eventually ended the Koryo dynasty associated Buddhism with its evils, resulting in Buddhism’s being replaced by Confucianism as the new state ideology when the Koryo dynasty fell in 1392.
Confucianism was brought into Korea much earlier, presumably by Chinese government officials and others who flocked to the peninsula after it was conquered by the armies of Emperor Wu-Ti in 108 B.C. But it was more of a social ethic than a religion and did not impinge on the spiritual beliefs or customs of the people. By the beginning of the Choson dynasty in 1392, however, Confucianism had been developed into an all-encompassing political, social, and philosophical ideology with cult status. Over the next five hundred years it was to become the core of Korean culture.
Taoism was “formally” introduced into Korea sometime in the seventh century A.D. Over the next several generations many Buddhist temples were converted into Taoist temples as part of the general decline of the influence of Buddhism. While Taoism did not develop into an independent cult, it was to have a significant influence on Korean thinking, particularly its emphasis on long life (su) and happiness (pok), whose symbols are still used widely today.
The basic philosophy of Taoism was that people should live simple, spontaneous, meditative lives; that they should ignore social conventions and worldly affairs and stay in harmony with nature. (This impractical approach to life was no doubt the primary reason that Taoism never became a widely practiced philosophy.)
In an effort to discover ways to transcend life, Taoist devotees experimented with elixirs and potions and with transforming metals. During one period Taoists advocated engaging in copious sexual activity as the best way to achieve enlightenment—a policy that resulted in a significant increase in the philosophy’s followers.
In number of adherents, the third-largest religion in Korea today is Chon Do Gyo (Chone Doh G’yoh), or “Religion of the Heavenly Way,” which originated in the Tong Hak (Tong Hahk) or “Eastern Learning” movement that developed in the latter part of the nineteenth century in response to pressure on Korea from Russia, Japan, and European powers and the weaknesses of the Choson court. Chon Do Gyo is described by Korea’s religious authorities as a nationalistic mixture of Buddhism and Confucianism.
Islam is one of the officially registered religions in Korea but is of recent origin. Koreans who were moved to Manchuria between 1895 and 1928 by the Japanese and were subsequently converted to Islam brought their new religious faith with them when they were finally returned to their homeland. The first inaugural service of Korean Islam was held in 1955, following which a Korean Imam was elected. The Korean Islamic Society was established in 1966, and the Ministry of Culture gave the organization official status in 1976.
Many Koreans still do not think very much about any religion. Surveys indicate that younger people do not believe that religion should be a part of the education of their children. At the same time, they say the moral teachings of religion are necessary for a wholesome outlook on life.
This apparently contradictory view results from the fact that throughout Korean history religious beliefs and rituals were an inseparable part of the lifestyle, not something seen or regarded as distinct and separate from everyday living. Koreans simply did not associate the concept of religion with the way they lived. They did not think in terms of “this is a Buddhist ritual” or “that is a shamanistic practice.”
It was not until the widespread introduction of Christianity into Korea from the late 1800s on that ordinary Koreans began to consciously recognize religion as a distinctive field of thought, and there is still a tendency for Koreans to see Christianity and other new religions as “religions” but not to label Buddhism, Confucianism, and shamanism as such.
There are some 240 so-called “new religions” in Korea, all of which are combinations of Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism. The largest of these new religions are Ilshin Gyo, Taejing Gyo, Chondo Gyo, Murong Chondo, Pong Nam, Todokhoe, Chongilhoe, and the Unification Church. Chondo Gyo began in the nineteenth century as Tong Hak (Tohng Hahk), or “Eastern Learning,” a political movement against inroads being made into the country by foreign colonial powers and Catholicism.
Internationally the best known of Korea’s new religions is the Unification Church, founded in the 1950s by the Rev. Sun Myung Moon. Notorious for its cult-like practices in attracting and keeping converts and in fundraising, the Unification Church has branches worldwide. In the United States, members of the church are popularly known as “Moonies,” a less than flattering term probably coined by a journalist. In 1982 the founder, Rev. Moon, was convicted by a U.S. court for income tax evasion and spent nearly a year in a federal prison.
The public platform of the Unification Church is “the Global Family” and “Love Will Save the Earth”—themes that it uses to stage mass gatherings that attract high-profile celebrity speakers. However, the most unusual of the church’s huge gatherings are mass weddings, the largest of which (at the time of this writing) involved more than seven hundred thousand couples around the world.
According to government statistics, some 25 percent of the population of South Korea is listed as members of the various Christian denominations that have flourished in the country.
Chongmal 총말 Chohng-mahl
The Color of Truth
When the first Westerners took up residence in Korea in the sixteenth century—unwillingly as the result of a shipwreck on Cheju Island—they were almost immediately presented with a kind of behavior that confused and frustrated them. They quickly learned that virtually everything of substance that they were told by their Korean captor/hosts turned out to be untrue. It seemed to them that it was the official policy of the authorities to lie rather than tell the truth.
What these early visitors to Korea encountered was a version of chongmal (chohng-mahl), or “truth,” that was based on the reality of Korean life rather than abstract principles. In Korea’s authoritarian feudal society “truth” was an arbitrary factor that was determined by circumstances, not by hard, objective facts. In effect chongmal was what the government said it was and what the people had to accept to survive in that cultural environment.
In other terms people were not free to determine or express objective truth in their personal relationships or any of their affairs. The “truth” in all matters was an artificially constructed political and social paradigm that had been designed to preserve the harmony of a hierarchically arranged authoritarian society that denied personal individuality and human rights. All personal feelings and concerns were secondary to
