Religion and Political Entanglements in Contemporary South Korea: Faith, Power, and Political Crisis under Yoon Suk-yeol

This roundtable examines how religious communities in South Korea have engaged—and become entangled—with political power in a period marked by heightened polarization and episodic crisis under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration. Tracing developments from Yoon’s presidential campaign in 2022 through his tenure in office and the political turmoil surrounding the December 2024 martial law declaration, the roundtable explores these entanglements with respect to the communities most frequently cited in public narratives and discourses: Protestant, Catholic, Buddhist, and new religious movements, including Shamanic networks. The roundtable features four presenters, each focusing on one of these communities, along with a presider. Together, the panelists analyze how religious actors have interpreted, negotiated, and contested political authority in a time of crisis, highlighting both convergences and divergences across traditions.