Flag of South Korea
Field Report
South Korea is a peninsula jutting down from northeastern Asia, tucked between China to the west and Japan to the east, with the Korean Strait separating it from the Pacific Ocean. It is a country of mountain forests, crowded modern cities, and ancient traditions that go back thousands of years. About one quarter of South Koreans identify as Christian, meaning millions of people there still have not heard or believed the good news about Jesus.
From the Field Notebook
Siberian Tiger
Once roaming the mountains of Korea in large numbers, the Siberian tiger became a symbol of strength and courage so important that Koreans called their land 'the land of tigers' and featured one as the mascot of the 1988 Seoul Olympics.
Korean Magpie
The black-and-white Korean magpie is the national bird of South Korea and appears in centuries of folk paintings and stories, where it is traditionally seen as a messenger of good news.
Amur Leopard Cat
This small, spotted wild cat lives in the forested mountains of the Korean Peninsula and is one of the few wild felines still found in South Korea today.
Kimchi
Kimchi is fermented cabbage seasoned with chili pepper, garlic, and ginger — sour, spicy, and crunchy all at once — and it is served at nearly every Korean meal, including breakfast.
Bibimbap
Bibimbap is a bowl of warm rice topped with colorful cooked vegetables, a fried egg, and a spoonful of red pepper paste that you stir together before eating.
Tteokbokki
Tteokbokki are chewy rice cake tubes cooked in a sweet and spicy red sauce that you can find sizzling at street food stalls all across South Korean cities.
South Korea is one of the most wired countries on earth — it has some of the fastest internet speeds in the world, and many Korean kids grew up with high-speed internet before most of the rest of the world did.
South Koreans used to count age in a unique way — a baby was considered one year old the moment it was born — but the country officially switched to the international age system in 2023, so everyone instantly became a year or two younger overnight.
The Korean alphabet, called Hangul, was invented by a single king — King Sejong the Great — in 1443, and it was deliberately designed to be simple enough for ordinary people to learn quickly.
South Korea is a peninsula about the size of the state of Indiana, but it is home to more than 51 million people, making it one of the most densely populated countries in the world.
Taekwondo, the fast-kicking martial art seen in the Olympics, was developed in Korea and is now practiced by tens of millions of people in countries all around the world.
Daily Life
83
Years life expectancy
98%
Can read and write
97%
Kids go to school
Missions Field Report
South Korea is home to 30 distinct people groups — 13 of them haven’t yet heard about Jesus.
A significant share of South Korea's people follow Non-Religious (31.2%). Evangelical Christians make up about 16.3% of the population.
What People Believe
Unreached People Groups
These are communities of people who haven’t had the chance to hear about Jesus yet. They need missionaries — and they need kids like you to pray for them.
Thai
103,000 people
South Asian, general
102,000 people
Uzbek, Northern
55,000 people
Japanese
52,000 people
Khmer
47,000 people
Prayer Journal
Tick each one as you pray. God hears every word.
