Eastern Orthodoxy in Korea
Eastern Orthodoxy in Korea consists of two Eastern Orthodox churches in Korea: the Diocese of Korea of the Russian Orthodox Church, which operates as a diocese within the Patriarchal Exarchate in South-East Asia, and the Orthodox Metropolis of Korea, a diocese of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
Historical background
Early Russian Mission (1856–1945)
The missionary activity of the Russian Orthodox Church among the Koreans began in 1856 when St. Innocent, sent Orthodox missionaries to the southern Ussuri region because of an inflow of Korean settlers. Later many of these settlers returned to Korea, and the group that returned formed the first flock of the Russian Spiritual Mission in Korea.The Mission began functioning on the Korean peninsula in February 1900, reached its peak in 1917, and thereafter fell into decline when funding was cut off following the October Revolution. The Mission continued its activities during the period from 1910 to 1945 when Korea was a colony of the Empire of Japan, remaining loyal to the Moscow Patriarchate. However, the Mission's work was suspended in 1949 for political reasons. The South Korean authorities seized the Mission's property and banished its head, Archimandrite Polycarp.
South Korea
Affiliation with the Ecumenical Patriarchate (1955–2004)
In December 1955, the Orthodox community in Seoul requested to come under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, and the Ecumenical Patriarch, Athenagoras I, accepted the request. Pastoral care of the church in Korea was first entrusted to the Archdiocese of Australia, then transferred to the Archdiocese of North and South America, then to the Metropolis of New Zealand.In April 2004, the Ecumenical Patriarchate established the Metropolis of Korea.