Christian Churches and Democratization in South Korea

Abstract

Korean churches participated in the democratization movement for three main reasons: first, to set up a new legitimacy formula at a time of rapid socioeconomic change; second, to respond to the demands from other social movements by providing shelters to antigovernment dissidents; and, third, to find themselves a new niche market. Even though both Protestant and Catholic churches participated actively in democratization movements, the Catholic Church and activists gained the upper hand, succeeding in making society believe that they had played a more active role in democratization, even though Protestant churches suffered more imprisonment, incarceration and martyrs. While progressive Protestant activists struggled with conservatives over fighting against dictatorship, Catholic activists overcame the existing division within their own community by the principle of “unity amid diversity” establishing the belief that the Catholic Church contributed more to democratization than Protestant ones.