Christianity in Korea

Joo Eun Grace Shin Senior Division Individual Website

Process Paper Many factors such as people, ideas, and events can be turning points in history. Among these, ideas primarily determine a societys atmosphere and even its fundamental beliefs. With this strong philosophical conviction, I have chosen to create this years NHD project on how the introduction of Christianity became a turning point in Korean culture, politics, education, and economics, revolutionizing the nation from poverty and starvation to prosperity and plenty. Christianity, a western religion, was introduced to Korea and gradually changed peoples mind-set. Transforming their past-oriented belief system of preferring traditional traits, Christian ideology influenced the society to pursue a better life for the future. In addition to Christian ideas, Protestant missionaries prompted South Korea to develop remarkably itself by building not only the physical institutions but also by establishing the philosophical foundation for education and medicine. To indicate this enlightenment, I chose the website design of tall buildings being the Korean land and a light in the center being Christian idea. Today, the world is surprised by South Koreas magnificent advancement. From barefoot in the 1960s, Korea has risen to broadband. Firstly, I started my research by reading books containing general information and slowly began narrowing down to the details. The first book I picked up was Korean Societys Development and Christianity. This book included many fields, such as economics, education, politics, and medicine to demonstrate the contributions of Christianity in South Korea. Therefore, it helped me to see the big picture which eventually led me to focus on specific aspects for individual topics. I read many scholarly articles and papers that elaborated on particular events, influenced by Christianity, which were viewed as turning points in Korea. For example, I gained precious information from American missionaries and the Korean Independence Movement in the Early 20th Century by K. Kale Yu, Ph.D. and Christianity in Modern Korea by Dr. Clark. To strengthen my thesis, I also reviewed The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism by Max Weber and Religion and Economic Growth by Robert J. Barro and Rachel M. McCleary. These sources clearly demonstrate that Christian ideas and economic growth bear a correlation.

Among my primary sources, my interview with Mr. and Mrs. Moffett was the most useful one. They were missionaries in Korea following the Korean War era and also were the son and daughter-in-law of missionary Maposamyeol (Samuel A. Moffet) who was the sixth protestant missionary to enter Korea. During the interview, I learned many firsthand stories of the Independence Movement in Korea and the aftermath of the Korean War. They also described the clear differences between the past and present conditions of South Korea. The reason why I decided to create a website was my experience in a previous NHD project. I have improved in using the technology and thought I could do better than last year. I have become more familiar with the Weebly settings which allowed me to utilize more advanced technology tools such as Prezi and Flash for a more elaborate website. Word Count: 498