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A South Korean Catholic presidency in the making Political scandal, a struggling economy and geopolitical tensions are the background for electionsA woman walks past posters of South Korean presidential candidates ahead of upcoming elections. The election's front runner — the Democratic Party's Moon Jae-in — is featured in the far-left poster. With their last president detained and awaiting trial for corruption, South Koreans go to the polls on May 9 to choose her successor. (Photo by Jung Yeon-Je/AFP) May 5, 2017The exponential growth in Protestant and Catholic populations makes South Korea a unique country in the Asia region. Social scientists attribute the sharp increase in numbers to converts, mostly middle-aged mothers whose children have grown up and left home. Not seeking a career in this next phase of their lives, these women discovered community and a life purpose through the church. The number of Catholics initially grew slowly from a low base of 170,000 in 1961 to 450,000 by 1968. Over the last four decades, the number of Catholics grew exponentially, from 800,000 in 1980 to over five million today. |