Freedom of religion in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...

is provided for in the South Korean constitution; the

South Korean government The Government of South Korea is the union government of the Republic of Korea, created by the Constitution of South Korea as the executive, legislative and judicial authority of the republic. The president acts as the head of state and is the ...

has generally respected this right in practice.

Laws guaranteeing the right to freedom of religion

Constitutional laws

Freedom of religion for all citizens and the separation of the state and religious organizations is guaranteed by the

Constitution of the Republic of Korea The Constitution of the Republic of Korea () is the supreme law of South Korea. It was promulgated on July 17, 1948, and last revised on October 29, 1987. Background The Provisional Charter of Korea The preamble of the Constitution of Sout ...

, article 20. ''(1) All citizens shall enjoy the freedom of religion. '' ''(2) No state religion shall be recognized, and religion and state shall be separated.'' Moreover, any discrimination based on a citizen's religious belief is strictly forbidden by Article 11 : ''(1) All citizens shall be equal before the law, and there shall be no discrimination in political, economic, social, or cultural life on account of sex, religion, or social status.''

International laws and treaties

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)

The Republic of Korea is a member party to the UN multilateral treaty International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) which provides that every individual has the right and freedom to adopt a religion or belief of his/ her choice and to manifest his/ her religion or belief either individually or in community with others, either in public or private (article 18), every individual has the right to be free from discrimination based on religious belief (Article 2) and this right is irrevocable even in conditions of emergency which threatens the life of the nation (Article 4). The government has the duty to guarantee all individuals equal and effective protection against religious discrimination (Article 26). Individuals have also the freedom to profess non-theistic and atheistic beliefs as well as the right not to profess any religion or belief. The terms belief and religion are to be broadly construed. (UN Human Rights Committee, General comment 22, 30 July 1993)

Relationship between religious organizations and the state

Legal status of religious organizations

There is neither an

official religion A state religion (also called religious state or official religion) is a religion or creed officially endorsed by a sovereign state. A state with an official religion (also known as confessional state), while not secular, is not necessarily a th ...

nor

state atheism State atheism is the incorporation of positive atheism or non-theism into political regimes. It may also refer to large-scale secularization attempts by governments. It is a form of religion-state relationship that is usually ideologically l ...

in the

Republic of Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its ea ...

. Also, unlike in many other countries, the government does not compile any list of recognized religions. Thus, there cannot be said that any religious organization is more legitimate than other in Korea, from a legal point of view. All religious organizations are equal before the law, regardless of the number of members, number of years since founding or their beliefs. There is in fact no specific law that regulates religious activities. Religious groups manage their assets through two types of legal personality: civil associations (사단) or foundations (재단). In 2011 there were 382 civil associations and 322 foundations related to various religious organizations.

Independent research

Pew research center's Government Restrictions Index

According to Pew research Center's Government Restrictions Index which measures the overall level of restrictions that the government places on religious organizations using an aggregate score of 20 indicators and then classifies countries in four categories (Low - the best category, Medium, High and Very High). In the 2009 respectively 2011 indexes South Korea was placed in the category Low and in the 2015 index the country was placed in the category Moderate.

Freedom House

In 2023, the country was scored 4 out of 4 for religious freedom; however, it was noted that a halt on mosque building may be due to discrimination.

Religious demography

South Korea has an area of and a population of 52 million people in 2022. According to the 2015 national census, 56.1% of people have no religious beliefs, 19.7% of the population is

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

, 15.5% follow Korean Buddhism and 7.9% follow

Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. About 0.8% of South Koreans follow other religions, including

Won Buddhism Won Buddhism ( ko, 원불교, Wǒnbulgyo, label=none), is a modern religion originating in Korea. It can be regarded as either a syncretic new religious movement or a reformed Buddhism. The name "Won Buddhism" comes from the Korean words 원/� ...

Confucianism Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, a way of governing, or a ...

Cheondoism Cheondoism (spelled Chondoism in North Korean sources; ) is a 20th-century Korean pantheistic religion, based on the 19th-century Donghak religious movement founded by Ch'oe Che-u and codified under Son Pyŏng-Hi. Cheondoism has its origins i ...

Daesun Jinrihoe Daesun Jinrihoe ( ko, 대순진리회), which in its English-language publications has recently used the transliteration Daesoonjinrihoe and, from 2017, Daesoon Jinrihoe, is a Korean new religious movement, founded in April 1969 by Park Han-g ...

, Islam,

Daejongism Daejongism ( ko, 대종교, 大倧敎 ''Daejonggyo'' or ''Taejongkyo'', "religion of the Divine Progenitor" or "great ancestral religion") or Dangunism ( ko, 단군교, 檀君敎 ''Dangungyo'' or ''Tangunkyo'', "religion of Dangun") is the name of ...

Jeungsanism Jeungsanism (증산교 Jeungsangyo) is an English word with two different uses: as a synonym of Jeung San Do (증산도), a Korean new religious movement, or to designate a family of more than 100 Korean new religious movements that recognize Kang ...

and Eastern Orthodox Christianity. In 2007, Buddhism had 27 orders within the country. The Catholic Church had 16 dioceses. Within the major Protestant traditions there were a total of 121 denominations, approximately 90 percent of which are separate

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

groups. The

Christian Council of Korea The Christian Council of Korea (CCK) is a national evangelical alliance, member of the World Evangelical Alliance. The CCK is one of the alliances of churches in South Korea, comprising 69 denominations and 20 Christian organizations, which toget ...

(CCK) reported that there were an estimated 75 Protestant denominations with at least 100 congregations nationwide, including

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compe ...

, Anglican, and the Korean Gospel Church Assembly.United States Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor
South Korea: International Religious Freedom Report 2007
''This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly waived, or may be inapplicable. Because those rights have expired, ...

.''

Status of religious freedom

Legal and policy framework

There is no state religion in South Korea. There are no government-established requirements for religious recognition. The Traditional Temples Preservation Law protects cultural properties including Buddhist temples, which receive some subsidies from the government for their preservation and upkeep.

Buddha's Birthday Buddha's Birthday (also known as Buddha Jayanti, also known as his day of enlightenment – Buddha Purnima, Buddha Pournami) is a Buddhist festival that is celebrated in most of East Asia and South Asia commemorating the birth of the Prince ...

and

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

are the only national holidays that are religious in nature. The government does not permit religious instruction in public schools. Private schools are free to conduct religious activities. In 2007, the 'Religious Affairs Bureau' of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in South Korea took the lead in organizing groups such as the Korean Religious Council and the Council for Peaceful Religions to promote interfaith dialogue and understanding. The Bureau was also responsible for planning regular events such as the Religion and Art Festival, the Seminar for Religious Leaders, and the Symposium for Religious Newspapers and Journalists.

Restrictions on religious freedom

In 2018, a Constitutional Court ruling found that the government could not imprison conscientious objectors, as they had done for many years, but had to provide alternative forms of service for them.Jehovah's Witness website, article on conscientious objectors in South Korea
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Freedom Of Religion In South Korea

Human rights in South Korea Religion in South Korea