KOREA, October 30, 2008: As HPI readers may know, South Korea was after World War II nearly all Buddhist. It became the special focus of Christian missionary activities for the next several decades, with great success. It is a success story that missionaries hope to repeat in other countries, specifically India. This article, “Buddhism Under Siege 1982-1996” details various events, some political, a large number criminal, that worked against Buddhism during this time. A notable one was the visit of Pope John Paul II to Korea during Buddha’s birthday, a visit which served to disrupt the ancient celebration. Another example is an official Korean textbook stating in 1984 that Buddhism is a “fading religion.” Many examples are of attacks against Buddhist monasteries and places of worship. For the complete report, see URL above.
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