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Schola Affectus reflects on history of Christianity in Korea


Bl Paul Yun Ji-chung

Bl Paul Yun Ji-chung

As Pope Francis beatifies 124 martyrs from Korea today, with huge crowds turning out in Seoul to meet the Pope, it may be opportune to look at unique origins of the church in Korea Schola Affectus writes.

Catholicism has grown rapidly in South Korea from 1% of the population ten years ago to over 10% now. South Korea is a fascinating country that has seen rapid development and economic growth. It is the only country in the history of the world that has gone from being a foreign aid recipient to being a major foreign aid donor in only one generation.

It also has huge ‘soft power’ now, not only as the home of Samsung. and being a technology leader in many fields – but also in the popularity of their films, soap operas and music – Remember Gangnam Style? K-Pop has overtaken Japan’s J Pop as the music on the iphones in the Pacific Rim and further afield.

I remember when I was in the Philippines I would often ask the young people which country they would most like to visit, and the answer universally wasn’t US, or the UK but South Korea.

Continue reading Schola Affectus' blog here: http://sjsa.wordpress.com/2014/08/16/fascinating-history-of-church-in-korea/

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