Both South and North American countries, as well as other traditionally
Catholic states in Europe, have been seeing sharp declines in their ranks in the
past few decades, especially in the number of people entering the priesthood
and in the falling attendance of members of the congregation at Mass. The
Catholic Church throughout the world is in a state of radical transition and is
experiencing profound and dramatic changes following the close of the Second
Vatican Council II 40 years ago. In contrast, the Catholic Church in Korea is
thriving. This study examines the possible causes connected to the increase in
membership in the Catholic Church, focusing on sociocultural factors and
exploring questions of how these aspects of unique development have been historically
and structurally related to the dynamics of Catholicism in Korea and
the disparity between external growth and internal maturity.