Personal opinion of a member of the history club - The reason Christianity flourished in Korea.

 This is just a dog poo philosophy. During the IMF, I once said something unusual on a TV program for immigrants. "If you went to another country, go to a Korean church first." You may wonder what kind of religious advertisement this is on public broadcasting, but as far as Sohae knows, I have never called or protested in other religions because of this. This is because, in reality, churches were often the central point where Koreans, who began to disperse around the world after the end of the Joseon Dynasty, could contact or exchange help with each other in foreign lands. The domestic situation after the end of Joseon is actually the same. The traditional way of cooperation in Korea was that families, local people, and local people had to unite. Of course, there is a tradition of warm treatment for people from outside, but it is completely different to say that the rolled-in stone intervenes in this neighborhood. (How could Chinese, which spreads everywhere in the world, not in Korea?) But during the Japanese colonial period, they fled the country.As it turned out, as it became common for people from different regions to mix around, people from different regions also needed an organization that could intervene in the neighborhood. I think it was a church. Contrary to the original atmosphere of gathering only with local people, the general atmosphere of the church is, "Come and live with us, too.""This was the easiest and best way for a person who had to survive in a single hole without a penny to quickly connect with other people in the region. In addition, before the 5th and 60s, churches and Christian-related organizations were the places where people without money could learn new studies and cultures (especially English) quickly, and it is natural that those who gained this or that knowledge earlier than others are more likely to succeed in society. For example, the church emphasized reading the Bible and taught writing for it, but considering the illiteracy rate of the Korean people in the 50s, it would not be easy for anyone who can read and write the Bible. Even these days, there is a huge difference in the ability of people who use translators or read English pages on the Internet, right? Of course, it was the 560s. There was nothing to say. And at that time, the central point of connecting with competent people was the church. (Of course, it's more attracted to similar people.) It's natural that most of the socially successful or influential people in the father and grandfather generation went through the church once. Even now, it is the easiest and fastest for a poor person who doesn't know anyone and doesn't have money to say that he wants to work as a praise team in a larger church if he wants to learn drums or keyboards. To summarize... Until the 1980s, attending church was more than just having a religion. P.S. For reference, after liberation, one of the following two competent people knew how to do something properly in South Korea. You can learn Japanese by knowing Japanese, or you can learn English from the United States or the United Kingdom... They praise themselves a lot about the success of the Korean economy, but steel, shipbuilding, transportation, etc. that actually made this possible... All of these designs and know-how were made possible by people who had learned Japanese or Western technologies quickly. Once, I made the Japanese people proud of the story of the Gwangyang Works, but I was embarrassed to learn that all of its design and technology were obtained from Japan.