Christianity and Rightist Movements in South Korea

• In Event: The State and Religious Leadership: Empowerment, Disempowerment, and its Consequences

Abstract

Rightist movements have notably risen in South Korea since the early 2000s. In particular, conservative church organizations have played important roles leading them. Their growth not only polarized society but also prevented the healthy development of civil society in South Korea. How and why has Christianity become a crucial part of rightist movements? Utilizing both political opportunity and threat theories, I argue that conservative church elites have grown drastically by accumulating wealth and building strong network with conservative politicians. Church elites formed a social network that includes the Grand National Party (later Saenuri Party), the conservative media, and the New Right organizations. Under the progressive governments, they used a sense of perceived threat to unite the movement while under the conservative governments, they took advantage of favourable political opportunities. When the conservative government gained back power in 2008, both conservative church organizations and the rightist movement continued to grow under state protection and patronage in return for their loyalty to the conservative government.

Author

• Eunsook Jung, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire