Podcast episode: A Critical Look into South Korea's Shifting Faith and Enduring Politics

Yoon’s declaration of martial law failed. This episode examines the history and work of protest movements in Korea as well as the mixed legacy of Christianity, shaped in part by its right‑wing ideology. Transcripts

Christmas Cactus 2025, Richmond, VIRGINIA

  

A new book project (edited volume)

Rethinking Paul: Critical Conversations for Our World

Edited by Yung Suk Kim

"Mind"

 

Mental Strength

 

A Critical Look into South Korea's Shifting Faith and Enduring Politics

 

PDF | YouTube Video with Texts | Podcast

I am Yung Suk Kim, Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology in Virginia Union University.

To begin with, let me discuss the evolving landscape of Christianity in South Korea, a phenomenon deeply entwined with the nation's politics and social movements. I witnessed autocracy firsthand and protested as a college student in the 1970s. Decades have passed since then. Korea has since regained democracy amid significant challenges and, in the interim, transformed into an advanced economy, bringing K-pop and K-drama to the global stage. Much has transpired, rendering it, in many ways, a different country.  

While Christianity in Korea once enjoyed widespread popularity, its influence is now waning. It has largely lost its broad appeal, yet it often retains its rigid conservatism, largely aligning with right-wing ideologies. Of course, the situation is not monolithic. 

The podcast episode by "American Unexceptionalism" was engaging, informative, and thought-provoking. I listened with great interest and agree with Helen Kim and Ray Kim’s analysis of Christian nationalism in both the U.S. and South Korea.

I'd add that Korea is no longer the Christian “superpower” it was in the 1960s-80s. As of 2024 surveys, Protestants comprise about 17% of the population, Buddhists 16%, and Catholics 6%, while over 51% identify as non-religious. Among those under 29, only about 10% identify as Christian, indicating diminishing influence on younger people. I expect Korea will become largely secular, like much of Europe.

A significant bloc within Korean Protestantism aligns with Christian nationalist politics, supporting right-wing, anti-communist positions and Trumpism. This group comprises roughly 20% of the population, large enough to be politically consequential. While there are also liberal and dissenting Christians, they do not constitute a majority. Despite this, they are doing their best to improve Korean society and ensure social justice.

The host of the podcast questioned what sustained Korean democracy after Yoon's martial law. The answer isn’t simple, but two factors stand out. First, many in the 20–30s generation learned from their parents and schools about Korean pro-democracy struggles, including the Gwangju Democracy Movement, which claimed hundreds of lives under the military regime. Those memories informed broad civic mobilization, leading both older and younger citizens to take to the streets, drawing on lessons from history.

Indeed, I was in Seoul when Yoon declared martial law, out of the blue, on December 3, 2024. I was there for academic travels, lecturing, and other engagements. The experience left me devastated and plunged me into trauma. My anger was so profound that I even attended a large protest in front of the National Assembly when Yoon was impeached.

Second, within religious circles, a crucial driver has been the Group of Catholic Priests for Justice. Their longstanding advocacy gives Catholics a public image of their commitment to social justice and democratic integrity. By contrast, many conservative Protestant leaders are viewed as narrow, power-seeking, and corrupt—perceptions that have damaged their moral authority.

On a related historical note, Catholicism was present in Korea before the arrival of Protestant missionaries. Early American missionaries, including Methodists and Presbyterians, sowed the seeds of Christian conservatism, which laid the groundwork for much of the current mainline Christianity in Korea.

There’s much more to discuss on this topic. I also have a short article on Christianity in South Korea in the Cambridge Dictionary of Christianity, edited by Daniel Patte.

Subscribe to my YouTube channel for biblical studies.  

Leaves fall like birds

On November 9, 2025, I observed leaves falling like birds in flight through the window of my study room, surrounded by feelings of awe and mystery, fascinated by their sudden dance in the wind, a simple yet rarely noticed act of nature.

 

The Question of "Origin"

 

Consider the beautiful anthurium and Christmas cactus. Where do they truly originate? The answers are diverse: they might be from a store, a thoughtful gift, their native habitats, or their evolutionary history.

Similarly, when we consider human origins, no single answer suffices. We can explore them through family ties, cultural and community identity, ethnic memory, psychological development, existential or religious narratives, and scientific accounts. It is crucial to keep asking the question from all these angles. No single framework fully encompasses the truth; instead, each perspective corrects and profoundly enriches the others.

Mystery of Pebbles

I gaze upon these exquisite pebbles and wonder, "What tales could you tell?" Their origins, shrouded in mystery, stretch back an astounding one to two billion years. Sculpted and resculpted by glaciers over countless millennia, each pebble stands as a unique masterpiece. They boast a diverse array of sizes, colors, shapes, and textures—no two alike in their natural splendor.

I marvel at the artistry of nature, pondering what force could craft such magnificent beauty. Even more awe-inspiring is the tactile connection I share with these ancient fragments. As I cradle them in my palm, feeling their smooth contours and varied surfaces, I'm struck by a profound sense of connection to Earth's vast geological history.

In this moment, I become a fleeting link in an incomprehensibly long chain of time, bridging the present to a distant past that shaped these enduring stone treasures.

Endorsements of the book "Justice and the Parables of Jesus"

 

Pre-order

• Sample Syllabus (seminary and Bible Study)
• Excerpts
• The backbone of this book
• YouTube Playlist featuring parables study

ENDORSEMENTS

"In Justice and the Parables of Jesus, Yung Suk Kim offers a bold and refreshing reorientation of how we read the teachings of Jesus. Moving beyond traditional theological and historical interpretations, Kim invites readers to engage the parables through the lens of political philosophy—where questions of liberty, rights, and above all, justice, come to the fore. By examining the parables within the political realities of first-century Palestine and through ten dimensions of justice—distributive, procedural, restorative, global, and more—Kim bridges ancient text and modern context with remarkable clarity and moral urgency. His work challenges readers not merely to decode Jesus’s stories, but to discern their ethical implications for our own fractured world. This book is a vital contribution to contemporary biblical scholarship and to the ongoing dialogue between theology and social ethics. For pastors, students, and scholars who believe that faith must wrestle with the demands of justice, Justice and the Parables of Jesus is essential reading—insightful, provocative, and deeply relevant for our times."

—Demetrius K. Williams, Professor of Comparative Literature and Religious Studies, University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee

"Drawing on the interpretive traditions of Howard Thurman, Walter Wink, and Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza, Professor Kim offers a socio-political reading of Jesus’s parables as incisive critiques of systemic injustice within the Roman imperial order. Integrating political philosophy and biblical exegesis, this work illuminates how these narratives expose the moral structure of hierarchical societies—ancient and modern—inviting readers to reconsider the ethical and political dimensions of parable discourse."

—Emerson Powery, Dean for the School of Arts, Culture & Society at Messiah University

"Recent studies of Jesus's parables have made clear the importance of situating them within the political and economic realities of his time. In this innovative book, Yung Suk Kim takes things further by approaching them with questions and insights from political theology in mind. Kim also brings ancient thinkers and sources like Confucius and Laozi into the conversation. The result is a volume that creates a conversation between the New Testament and pressing concerns of our own time." 

—James F. McGrath, Clarence L. Goodwin Chair in New Testament Language & Literature, Butler University

“This book goes beyond the general claim that Jesus was a prophet of God’s justice—articulated, among other ways, in his narrative parables—to explore the diverse ways that this justice unfolds in human affairs.”
—Chris Marshall, Emeritus Professor of Restorative Practice at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand

 

"When I teach in churches, clergy and laity regularly ask for accessible resources from biblical scholars that address the urgent concerns of the current moment while attending to the complex contexts of ancient texts. Justice and the Parables of Jesus is a book I can recommend that helps readers understand justice not as a static goal, but as a multidimensional lens through which to read both biblical text and respond to ethical and theological concerns today. Yung Suk Kim offers fresh readings of familiar parables alongside multiple models for justice, contributing to conversations about the Bible, theology, and public life."
—Jennifer Quigley, Assistant Professor of New Testament, Emory University