Faith in the age of Gen Z: South Korea’s religions turn to avatars, acoustics and pop culture

SEOUL – A young Buddhist nun, a Catholic priest and a Protestant pastor recently appeared on tvN’s popular variety show You Quiz On The Block.

Between laughter, filming social media challenges and dancing to the viral KPop Demon Hunters song Soda Pop, they spoke about how hard it is to avoid K-pop.

Their cheerful appearance contrasted sharply with an earlier episode, in which senior clerics discussed doctrine and inter-religious dialogue in hushed tones.

More young South Koreans are identifying as atheist or unaffiliated, prompting religious groups to reinvent themselves: from virtual Buddhist monks and K-pop-inspired rituals to churches that blend in with Seoul’s nightlife.

According to a 2024 survey by Hankook Research, 69 per cent of South Koreans in their 20s said they have no religious affiliation, the highest proportion among any generation.

Faced with shrinking congregations, many faith communities are racing to prove their relevance in a culture shaped by digital media, individualism and internet subcultures.

“Is this a real Buddhist sermon that I can show my grandmother?” asked a comment during a live stream on Chzzk, a South Korean streaming platform, on Nov 9.

On screen, a two-dimensional, anime-like monk with soft eyes and flowing robes nodded. “Yes,” he replied.

Behind the avatar is a 31-year-old monk known as Venerable Bulbeob, who is one of South Korea’s newest “VTubers”, or virtual streamers.

He unveiled his upgraded avatar on Oct 17, transforming from a short, cartoonish figure into a tall, handsome monk that viewers described as “too good-looking”.

The virtual monk uses live technology that recognises motion and facial expressions in real time.

He hosts regular Sunday sermons and Thursday chat sessions online, and even organises tongue-in-cheek ceremonies such as a “Cheondo ritual for my bias”, a Buddhist memorial service for fictional celebrity figures.

He said he first got the idea in July after watching Netflix’s animated film KPop Demon Hunters.

“When I saw memes of a fake funeral altar for the Saja Boys online, I thought, ‘why don’t we do it too?’”

The Jogye Order, South Korea’s largest Buddhist denomination, confirmed to The Korea Herald that Venerable Bulbeob is indeed an ordained monk, but declined to comment on his live streams.

“If I disappear, I’ve probably been dragged to the Hobeopbu,” the virtual monk joked, referring to the order’s disciplinary body.

Though unconventional, his approach reflects a broader shift in South Korean Buddhism towards blending the sacred with the familiar, introducing events such as temple-stay surfing lessons or dating events hosted at temples for young singles.

In May, to coincide with Buddha’s birthday, the religious community organised a “Buddha’s Birthday Cafe”, drawing inspiration from K-pop fandoms that often rent coffee houses to fill them with merchandise related to their favourite K-pop star’s birthday.

From club to church

Buddhism is not alone in its transformation.

Across Seoul, Christian communities are also reimagining how to speak to a generation that values authenticity over authority.

In 2017, Pastor Nam Been opened Newsong Church in Hongdae, one of Seoul’s busiest nightlife districts.

The building was once a club, complete with neon lights, a sound system and a bar counter, before Pastor Nam turned it into a place of worship.

“The area is just inside the commercial zone of the city. It’s not even a residential area,” he told The Korea Herald.

“I wanted to build my church in a place that could reach the next generation, and Hongdae came to mind. Amid the hundreds of bars here, we exist as a church that not many people know about.”

His congregation, almost entirely composed of those in their 20s and 30s, gathers every Sunday evening.

Just before service, the streets outside are crowded with buskers and bar-hoppers.

Inside, the atmosphere feels less like a sermon and more like a live show with acoustic music, strobe lights and a standing audience.

“It feels like a ‘rock church’ I visited in the US,” said one churchgoer. “In Europe, we hear the news about churches being converted into nightclubs. I am very thrilled and spiritually thankful that we were able to turn this club into a church and that young people are coming here to worship.”

Pastor Nam said Newsong Church intentionally incorporates “cultural aspects that are less religious”, such as memes and social media challenges, to connect with younger South Koreans.

“Some traditional churches think our methods are dangerous and that we’re becoming too secular,” he said. “However, the fundamentals of the gospel message do not change. We don’t compromise on that.”

He went on to explain that they have a strict feedback loop to ensure that the message is not distorted owing to the method in which they convey it.

“Using methods that all young people share and know about allows us to better invite them (to the church) and for them to become more interested.”

Rebranding belief

Both Venerable Bulbeob’s virtual sermons and Pastor Nam’s “club” church capture a growing trend in South Korean religion: the effort to meet younger generations on their own terms.

Pastor Nam believes the country’s surveys overlook an important truth that, although the young may be unaffiliated, they are still interested in the spiritual.

“Many young people are interested in what is religious or spiritual,” he said.

Over eight years in Hongdae, he has watched fortune-telling stalls multiply.

“That high demand shows people are still curious about their future and about the answers to the big questions in life,” he said. “They call themselves SBNR: ‘spiritual but not religious’.”

Many young South Koreans, he added, have become sceptical about traditional churches that fail to answer life’s big questions.

“We use cultural aspects and try to present the Bible not as a set of rules but as something that can relieve fatigue and guide us in life.”

Venerable Bulbeob shares a similar goal.

“I started this live stream because I wanted to spread Buddhism in a way people can actually relate to,” he said. “I hope people feel that monks and Buddhism itself can be approachable.”

“It’s enough for me to play the role of pushing you from the shadows into the light,” he added. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK