• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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• v.45
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• pp.187-226
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• 2023

In contemporary society, digital media has become an integral part of daily life that shapes how people interact with the world around them. This phenomenon has also influenced religious activities and practices. Studies on digital religion and religious practices among digital natives in the Western world have indicated that traditional religious practices are on the decline. Instead, more accessible and flexible forms of religious activities and beliefs are emerging. Given this context, it is important to investigate whether similar trends are occurring in Korea. This study aims to explore the religious activities and expressions of Korean individuals in the online environment. Specifically, the study focuses on four main areas: ①the online religious activities of established religions such as Protestantism, Buddhism, and Catholicism; ②the online religious activities related to divination belief systems such as the Four Pillars of Destiny (四柱 saju) and Tarot; ③online holy sites and wish comments or chats; and ④popular religious neologisms such as jileumshin (지름神 a god with the power to justify consumption) and gatsaeng (갓[God]生 one's best life). Through this review, it can be ascertained that religious ideas and practices are restricted by the attributes of digital media. This implies that the emergence of simplistic forms of religious ideas and activities is associated with the features of digital media and the consumption of digital content.

• Journal of the Daesoon Academy of Sciences
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• v.33
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• pp.147-177
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• 2019

This article attempts to examine the fundamental perceptions and attitudes of human beings towards others utilizing the concept of 'precariat,' a new word recently created to designate people affected by the inequality and instability brought about by neoliberal globalization. Especially, the precariats within South Korean society noted in this article will be North Korean migrants. When leaving North Korea, they have entered into South Korean society with hurting bodies and minds as they made their way through China or third party countries. After arriving in South Korea, they face difficulties such as inadequate jobs and low-level welfare benefits. Also, considering the social discrimination, exclusion, and indifference towards North Korean migrants which are commonplace, they come to live their lives as precariats. Given their situation, I would like to seek wisdom for North Korean migrants to apply as they escape from insecure lives, and perhaps Sangsaeng (mutual beneficence) would allow them to do that within South Korean society. In this light, I think that the concept of hospitality and Haewon Sangsaeng (the resolution of grievances for mutual beneficence), a code of practical ethics within the Daesoon Thought, as a basis for discussion with other philosophies that are practical in enabling North Korean migrants and South Korean citizens to coexist within modern day South Korean society. This can be achieved because 'Haewon (grievance-resolution)' lowers the boundary between self and others through sharing, and consequently, daily mutual interactions can unfold as 'Sangsaeng', which stands as a new ethical and practical system of values available to all modern individuals. In fact, contrary to the religious implications of Daesoon Thought, the philosophical and existential significance of Daesoon Thought has not received much attention. However, if we pay attention to the question of why human subjects should be hospitable to others, we can grasp how Daesoon Thought presents values that are existential in nature and also consider the specific context that accompanies the religious aspects of this system of thought.