Religion And Political Identity- Korean Protestantism In The Power Structures Of Early South Korea, 1945–1948

Abstract

Throughout the history of post-1945 Korea, evangelical Protestants in South Korea reinforced their political, economic, and cultural ascendancy over the country with extensive economic and administrative supports from the US government as well as missionaries from that country. This paper will examine in what ways Korean evangelical Protestantism gained hegemonic power in nation-building. It is broadly categorised into three spheres: firstly, the sphere of international relations, analysing to what extent the US army administration intervened the religious sphere in South Korea; secondly, the religious-cultural sphere, exploring in what ways Protestant dogma has been combined with the Cold War discourse; and finally, the political sphere, examining in what ways the Christian morality combined with American values in the first ROK government. The role of Pyong’an Christians will also be taken up.