Did you know that aside from the Philippines, which is predominantly Catholic, there is also another country that has a significant number of citizens who adhere to Catholic faith, too?
It's the Land of the Morning Calm, South Korea. In a report on Vatican News in January 2020, Catholics in the birthplace of the Hallyuwave comprised about 11% of the country's 51 million people or 5.8 million based on data in 2018.
This figure includes several Korean actors and K-pop idols. One of them is Korean sensation Rain, or Jung Ji-hoon in real life, who is married to fellow celebrity Kim Tae-hee, a devout Catholic. Popular K-pop idol, SHINee's Taemin, has also been vocal about his Catholic faith.
Meet these talented Korean stars who are Catholic in this gallery.
K-pop royalty Rain (Jung Ji-hoon) was baptized as a Catholic in 2014, according to reports. Rain took these steps before tying the knot with his then girlfriend Kim Tae-hee in January 2017.
Aside from establishing himself as one of the top performers in the K-pop industry, he also ventured into acting. Pinoys best remember him with his team-up with Song Hye-kyo in 'Full House.' He also worked with Kim Bum in the K-drama series 'Ghost Doctor.' The Filipino-dubbed versions of both series aired on GMA Network.
Kim Tae-hee is among the most prominent South Korean celebrities who is a proud Catholic. She began dating Rain in 2012, a year after meeting him for the first-time in a TV commercial They tied the knot in 2017. Later on welcomed two kids: the eldest was born in October 2017 and their second child in September 2019.
Tae-hee earned lots of praise for her performance as Han Yoo-ri in the hit K-drama 'Stairway to Heaven,' which stars Choi Ji-woo and Kwon Sang-woo. The dubbed version of this series was also shown on GMA Network.
One of South Korea's popular leading men, Lee Joon-gi is also on the list of Korean stars who are Catholics.
Joon-gi, together singer IU, touched the hearts of many K-drama fans with their riveting performance in 'Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo' in 2016. The Korean actor also starred in other exceptional drama projects like 'Flower of Evil' and 'Arthdal Chronicles'. He was also part of Milla Jovovich's hit zombie movie 'Resident Evil: The Final Chapter'.
Korean idol Taemin is also a Catholic. He's part of the phenomenal SHINee with Onew, Jonghyun, Key, and Minho.
Taemin finished his mandatory military service this April 2023. He began his duty in May 2021. Before him, MInho was the last SHINee member who got discharged from the military back in November 2020.
Multi-decorated figure skater Kim Yuna is a follower of the Catholic faith. Yuna bagged the Olympic gold medal in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and grabbed the silver medal in the 2014 Sochi Olympics.
In October 2022, Kim Yuna, who is tagged as 'Ice Queen,' married singer Ko Woo-rim. The two celebrities first met in 2018 at 'All That Skate Ice Show. In July 2022, they announced their engagement. Now that she's not competing anymore, Yuna has landed numerous lucrative endorsement deals. She is also a known philanthropist. Back in 2010, she was appointed a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.
Lee Chang-min, a member of idol group 2AM, is a Catholic as well.
In 2015, the sad news about 2AM being disbanded was confirmed. Aside from Chang-min, the members of the boy group include Jo Kwon, Seulong, and Jinwoon. Based on reports in 2018, Chang-min left his agency Big Hit Entertainment and established his own company.
According to several reports in the media, 'The Heirs' actor Kim Woo-bin is a known Catholic, too.
In May 2019, Kim Woo-bin grabbed the spotlight after attending a religious event with his friend actor Zo In Sung, which sparked speculations that he will convert his religion.
His agency, sidusHQ made a clarification, which was reported by SBS News. They said, "We are unable to know in detail about Kim Woo Bin's religious beliefs. It seems that he privately attended the event due to his friendship with Zo In Sung."
"We found out Kim Woo Bin attended the event after it was aired on a broadcast. Religion is a private matter, so we don't exactly know if our actors attend church, Catholic church, or temples."