Most surveys indicate that around a quarter of the population of South Korea (around 50 million) identify as Christians. Despite years of systemic opposition to Christianity under the Japanese during the Second World War, the devastation of the Korean War leading to many Christians from what is now North Korea becoming refugees, and decades of political and economic unrest, Christianity in South Korea has grown steadily and faithfully for over a century now representing a major presence in a country with no majority religious group. Most visitors to South Korea are amazed by the number of churches in the major cities, made visible by the crosses on top of these ubiquitous church buildings.

Where do the Olympic athletes representing other countries worship in South Korea? Christian leaders in South Korea have called upon churches to make the Winter Olympics a “Missions Olympics,” encouraging congregations and pastors to be active in evangelizing to the thousands of athletes and officials visiting South Korea. For instance, the many fans of skating–whether of the figure, short-track, or speed skating variety–should be familiar with Gangneung Ice Arena where these events are held. However, many might not be aware that the city of Gangneung is about thirty minutes from PyeongChang or that the 140 or so churches in the city have been a part of a national Christian organization formed in 2012 to prepare for the Olympics. The purpose of the “Korean Christian Services” (rough translation) is to serve and evangelize to the visitors from around the globe.

Such organization and activism might not be surprising for those who are familiar with churches in South Korea. For the rest of us, what are some things worth noting about Christianity there?

First, most surveys indicate that around a quarter of the population of South Korea (around 50 million) identify as Christians. Despite years of systemic opposition to Christianity under the Japanese during the Second World War, the devastation of the Korean War leading to many Christians from what is now North Korea becoming refugees, and decades of political and economic unrest, Christianity in South Korea has grown steadily and faithfully for over a century now representing a major presence in a country with no majority religious group. Most visitors to South Korea are amazed by the number of churches in the major cities, made visible by the crosses on top of these ubiquitous church buildings.

Second, one might be surprised to know that the largest denominations and churches in South Korea are either Presbyterian or Methodist. The largest denomination is the Korean Presbyterian Church (Hapdong) with nearly 2.8 million members and 12,000 churches. This conservative Presbyterian denomination is only slightly larger than the more progressive and similarly named Korean Presbyterian Church (Tonghap) with similar numbers of members but fewer churches, nearly 9,000. The Korean Methodist Church reports that there are over 6,700 churches throughout South Korea with nearly 1.4 million members. Just as a Christian in the U.S. might often find a Dutch-Reformed church in the midwest or a Southern Baptist church in the Bible belt, it would not be difficult to find a Presbyterian or Methodist church in South Korea.

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