Confucian ancestor rites have constituted an essential part of Korean culture since
around the 17th century. It is believed that they have worked as a key mechanism for
the maintenance and strengthening of the male-centered family and lineage ideology.
However, waves of modernization and Westernization in the 20th century and the
accompanying urbanization and industrialization of Korean society since the 1960s
have brought considerable changes to the forms and scales of ancestral rites in actual
practice. Introduction of modern education system, the spread of Christianity,
increasing mobility, and changes of residential patterns have undermined the socialstructural
and ideological bases of traditional ancestor rites. This paper first provides
an overview of the changes that have occurred in the forms of traditional Confucian
ancestor rites while adapting to these general societal changes. It will then analyse
implications of those changes in the context of family relations, gender relations and
lineage ideology in modern Korea.