Protestantism & Catholicism

Protestantism came to Korea after the signing of the Korean-American Treaty in 1882. Because Christianity challenged the basic values of Joseon society, its believers were subject to persecution in the early years, but as Christians took an increasingly active role in the anti-colonial struggle against the Japanese and churches promoted more educational opportunities, Christianity gained acceptance. Today Korean churches evangelize abroad, and approximately twenty five percent of the Korean population is Christian. Catholicism first came to Korea as a western scholarly pursuit. Korean tributary missions to the imperial court of China took an interest in Jesuit missionary books and brought them back to Korea. In 1784 the first Korean was baptized in Beijing and returned to Korea to set up a house of worship. Despite considerable persecution by the government, numerous people joined the Catholic Church. Presently, over two million people belong to the church.