Our Visit of Korean Churches in Seoul

I was lucky to receive the British Council Grant and be part of the Bath Spa team that visited Dongguk University for studies in Summer 2010. I took the opportunity to do things that I liked to do in Korea.

Before my arrival in Seoul, I expected to see a completely different form of Christianity. To my surprise, there were only very few and minor differences. Though Christianity is newer to South Korea, the tradition still remains the same. To a greater extent, it exists in harmony with Buddhism.

On 27th July, some of us visited several churches. Our first destination was Myeong-dong Catholic Cathedral. The cathedral was situated at the top of a small hill in the middle of the city, amongst busy shops and restaurants. An English speaking Korean woman, who was handing out leaflets about the service we wanted to attend, greeted us. An Irish priest led the mass in English. The church was so big. There were plasma TVs mounted on pillars for all to see the service. Once the service was over we were able to take photos of the Cathedral and walk around. We didn’t have long time as people were beginning to fill the church ready for the next service.

After the lunch break we visited the Seoul Anglican Cathedral. The architecture of the building was very Romanesque and grand. The service that was going on inside the church had been recorded and played on loudspeakers. Although the service that we attended was conducted in Korean, we learnt from one of the regular churchgoers that there was an English mass every Sunday morning.

We finished our day of exploration by visiting the Catholic Martyr Museum. We expected to see a building full of information about the numerous Martyrs who died during the times when Christianity was introduced to Korea. To our surprise, the museum in fact turned out to be mainly a shrine. There was a large and beautifully kept garden full of statues and pictures of Korean and European Martyrs. At the centre, there was a monument, which we could climb in order to get a closer view of the river running by just the other side of the road.

Lydia Braisby
3rd Year, Study of Religions
8th April 2011