Korea is crucial in North-east Asia both strategically as the chief crossing between China and Japan and politically as the nexus of interest of China, Japan, Russia and the United States (Map 1). In its current state of division, Korea is a serious threat to global stability and a potential source of widespread conflict. Yet this key component in North-east Asian relations is under-researched and neglected compared to the study of China and Japan. Furthermore, the religious dimensions of Korea’s history have tended to be obscured by political readings (Wells 2009:60–80). Surprisingly for a country with long Confucian and Buddhist traditions, within the span of 250 years, Christianity – in various forms – has had a deep impact on Korea and Koreans, including in what is now North Korea. It has played a prominent role in social and political events in the last two centuries; it continues to be a major factor in public life in the South; and it is conspicuous by its suppression in the North. Therefore the study of Korean Christianity and its history is vital for a proper understanding of recent Korean history and for any attempt to resolve the conflict between the Koreas.

From the point of view of the study of religions, Korea presents a rare example in which a substantial proportion of the population has converted to Christianity in a country where other world religions are already established. The planting of Christianity among the ancient religions of Korea and its rapid growth to 30 per cent of the population in South Korea is without parallel in Asia in modern times and demands explanation. In this process, the faith has been shaped by the Korean context and accommodated itself to Korean culture in ways which shed new light on the nature of Christianity and its relation to other religions and spiritualities. The interaction of Christianity with the religious plurality of contemporary South Korea is also a fruitful field for investigation.