Catholic Church in Korea

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The Catholic Church in Korea is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Bishop of Rome (the Pope).

The Catholic Church in Korea originated from contact with the Western world. Trade and the exchange of ideas, primarily beginning in the 18th century,^[1] between the Korean peninsula and Europe resulted in the proliferation of books on Catholic teachings, and the spread of Western knowledge. The Catholic Church faced severe persecution under the Joseon Dynasty due to the threat that this newly introduced faith posed against the Confucian-based social and political order. Many major events contributed to the spread of the Catholicism in Korea. The history of Korea following its introduction also had a significant impact upon how it spread, between that of the north and the south, and how these differences still resonate in the modern-day.

The Catholic hierarchy in Korea has never been divided between the South and North, in the same manner as the Catholic hierarchy in Germany was never divided between East and West between the artificially created borders. For example, some parts of the territory of the archdiocese of Seoul are located in North Korea. Nevertheless, since the political division of Korea in 1945, Catholicism has had a different development in North and South Korea.