Ancient Belief   Buddgism and Confucianism  Christianity  Chondogyo  Folk Beliefs

What kinds of beliefs(religion) do the people cherish?

In Korea there are such religion as Tangun myth, Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Donghak (later Chondogyo) and Folk beliefs that have all influenced Korea over the centuries.
Buddhism spread in korea between the end of the fourth century and the beginning of the sixth century. There were more than 100,000 Buddhists before the Fatherland liberation war, but now they number about 10,000.
Buddhism's ideas of reaching peace and happiness through simple life of virtue and wisdom strongly influenced Koreans until fall of Koryo Dynasty.
Confucianism replaced Buddhism as the state belief system during Choseon Dynasty (Li Dynasty). Confucianism is based on a set of ethical concepts to guide behavior and does not teach the existence of divine beings.
Christianity first entered Korea in the 1600s. Further influence spread with Catholic missionaries in 1785 and with Protestants in Korea by American missionaries in 1880s.  There were over 117,000 christians before the war. At present they number more than 10,000. The Korean Christians Federation was formed on November 28, 1946.
Chondogyo emerged as native religion in the 1860's.
Divination among the folk beliefs developed from the desire to know and control one's destiny, a desire that has been characteristic of man since time immemorial. There is a mention of divination in Korea as early as the Three Kingdoms period.
Dreams also are believed to foretell the future. According to legends and historical records, good dreams usually signify a happy event such as a promotion, even ascension to the throne, while bad dreams forecast disaster. The vast number of books on dream interpretation, both ancient and modern, is indicative of the interest in this form of divination.
Another method of divination deals with physiognomy and phrenology. The nose, the eyes, the mouth, the ears, the complexion, the hair, the feet, the hands, the voice, the deportment, the surface and hue of the body, the lines on the palms, and birthmarks are believed to reflect future events. Parallel systems of prediction in Western cultures often do not agree with traditional Asian divination.
At the beginning of the new lunar year, it is customary to calculate one's fortune and future for the next 12 months. This is done by calculating the date and time of birth by the lunar calendar and then matching this in formation in a book called Tojeong bigyeol. This kind of fortunetelling is a popular pastime around New Year's Day. During this season, old men with Tojeong bigyeol books are a common sight around marketplaces or on street corners where people are likely to gather.
Not only older people, but young people as well rely on these various forms of divination. Quite often, students will consult a fortuneteller about examinations, college entrance and other school, business or personal matters.
In Korea, geomancy among the folk beliefs is a method of divination for locating favorable sites for cities, residences and burial grounds. This belief holds that happiness and prosperity will prevail over a house built on an ideal site. The site of the ancestral grave must be ideal as well, as the location is believed to exert a lasting and decisive influence over the destinies of the entire family.
In accordance with the Article 54 of the Socialist Constitution of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, religious people are provided with full freedom to practice their religion and the state does not interfere in the work of the various religious organizations, and ensures freedom of activity for them.
In modern Korea, all of these beliefs are believed to have underground followings. Koreans are believed to follow their faiths in secret, a long and rich history of religion on the Korea peninsula.
So far as religions organization are concerned, there are the Korean Christian Federation, the Central Guidance Committee of the Korean Chondoist Association, the Korean Buddhists Federation and the Korean Association of Roman Catholics.