▁lay - ass ist ants ▁and ▁des ec r ation ▁of ▁" sp irit - sh r ines " ▁by ▁C athol ics , ▁after ▁the ▁arrival ▁of ▁two ▁French ▁pri ests ▁to ▁Che ju . ▁ ▁Current ▁status ▁Government ▁surve ys ▁showed ▁that ▁more ▁than ▁ 4 5 % ▁of ▁South ▁Kore ans ▁practice ▁no ▁religion , ▁that ▁about ▁ 2 2 % ▁are ▁Buddh ists , ▁and ▁that ▁ 2 9 . 2 % ▁are ▁Christians ▁with ▁ 1 1 . 1 % ▁being ▁C athol ics ▁and ▁ 1 8 % ▁being ▁Protest ants , ▁meaning ▁that ▁Christian ity ▁is ▁the ▁largest ▁religion . ▁ ▁The ▁Catholic ▁Church ▁in ▁South ▁Korea ▁has ▁seen ▁significant ▁growth ▁in ▁recent ▁years , ▁increasing ▁its ▁membership ▁by ▁from ▁ 7 . 9 % ▁of ▁the ▁population ▁to ▁ 1 1 % ▁over ▁the ▁past ▁twenty ▁years . ▁At ▁the ▁end ▁of ▁ 2 0 1 7 ▁there ▁were ▁ 5 , 8 1 3 , 7 7 0 ▁C athol ics ▁in ▁South ▁Korea ▁— ▁ 1 1 . 0 % ▁of ▁the ▁population . ▁ ▁In ▁ 2 0 1 7 , ▁the ▁Church ▁grew ▁by ▁ 1 . 3 %, ▁with ▁over ▁ 7 5 , 0 0 0 ▁adult ▁bapt isms . ▁Part ▁of ▁this ▁growth ▁can ▁be ▁attributed ▁to ▁the ▁Church ' s ▁relatively ▁positive ▁per ception ▁by ▁the ▁general ▁public ▁because ▁of ▁its ▁role ▁in ▁the ▁dem ocrat ization ▁of ▁South ▁Korea , ▁its ▁active ▁participation ▁in ▁various ▁works