Academic Work

The institution of military chaplaincy offers a revealing lens into the complex and contested nature of the concept of religion. This article explores the changing definition of religion in South Korea by analysing the evolving role of military chaplains. The sphere of religion has undergone a twofold transformation. The boundaries of religion in South Korea have expanded, particularly with the emergence of religious pluralism. This stands in contrast to the authoritarian era, when the convergence of the anti-communist state and Protestant Church enabled state oversight of religious institutions and the categorization of religious communities according to their perceived contribution to social unity. Simultaneously, the institutional understanding of religious practice within the armed forces has become more nuanced: religious activity is defined to encompass liturgical practice, ethical instruction, and moral guidance, creating a bounded and symbolically intensified sacred domain. This reorientation reflects broader trends of religious privatization, positioning chaplains’ clerical authority as central to the production and arbitration of religious legitimacy. Contemporary chaplains, navigating the manifold terrain of South Korea’s religiosity, thus embody the continuous redefinition of religion itself.

The Chogye Order of Korean Buddhism (K. Chogye chong or Jogyejong 曹溪宗) compiled a booklet called Kukkun pŏbyo chip (Essential Buddhist Teachings for the Armed Forces, 國軍法要集, EBTAF hereafter), which is distributed in the military Buddhist temples (K. kun sachal; Ch. jun sisha 軍寺刹) of South Korea. This manual for Buddhist military personnel draws on Buddhist classical texts and teachings to provide them both with doctrinal and practical information, and guidance as well as litanies for chaplains to perform crucial rites such as funerals. At the same time the EBTAF contains some distinctively Korean Buddhist references and ideas, and combines them with elements of Korean nationalism. In this context, this article analyses (1) the ideal traits of Buddhist combatants suggested in the EBTAF and their compliance with international humanitarian law (IHL); (2) the conflicting values illustrated in the booklet between Buddhist soldiers’ religious aspirations to uphold common humanity and the partiality inherent in their governmental affiliation; and (3) a passage to resolve the disparity. While the EBTAF aligns with IHL principles, some parts of it reflect a tension between Buddhist aspirations for peace and the military necessities of the state. Though IHL is not explicitly mentioned in the EBTAF, there is potential for embedding education on mutually complementary Buddhist and IHL values into Korean military chaplaincy.