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Religion in South Korea

Just more than 40 percent of South Koreans profess religious affiliation. That affiliation is spread among a great variety of traditions, including Buddhism (34 percent), Christianity (30 percent), Confucianism (0.2 percent), and shamanism. These numbers should be treated with some caution, however, as (with the exception of Christianity) there are few if any meaningful distinctions between believers and nonbelievers in Buddhism and Confucianism, which comprise more of a set of ethical values than a religion. The cultural impact of these movements is far more widespread than the number of formal adherents suggests. A variety of “new religions” have emerged since the mid-nineteenth century, including Cheondogyo. Very small Muslim and Bahá'í minorities also exist.