Muslims make up a small minority in South Korea, but a new academic study finds that anti-Muslim sentiment (Islamophobia) has risen significantly over the past decade.
Researchers say the issue first gained national attention in 2018, when a wave of protests erupted on the southern island of Jeju against Yemeni asylum seekers. However, anti-Muslim rhetoric had already been circulating in public discourse since the late 2000s, fueled by media campaigns, opposition to halal food initiatives, and organized resistance to mosque construction.
One of the most prominent examples occurred in the southern city of Daegu, where the construction of the Daruleeman Mosque triggered a prolonged dispute between local residents and Muslim worshipers. The controversy drew international attention after protesters displayed pig carcasses near the mosque’s construction site, an act widely condemned as deeply offensive to Muslims.
The dispute is the focus of research by Joowon Yuk, a sociology professor and director of the Center for Minorities and Human Rights at Kyungpook National University. Based on four years of fieldwork and ethnographic research, Professor Yuk argues that the conflict reflects broader tensions within South Korean society.
Her analysis suggests that opposition to the mosque emerged from a combination of factors, including resistance from local residents, administrative decisions by local authorities, and activism by conservative Protestant groups that framed the issue within a broader global anti-Muslim narrative.
According to Professor Yuk, “This situation shows how the boundaries of race, religion, and national identity are being reshaped in contemporary Korea.”
Professor Yuk’s research also challenges the assumption that Islamophobia is solely a problem in Western societies. Instead, the study suggests that rising anti-Muslim sentiment in South Korea is tied to a growing form of nationalism that emphasizes cultural and ethnic homogeneity, even as the country becomes increasingly diverse due to immigration.
You can read Professor Joowon Yuk’s research paper here:
The Protestant Right and the Rise of Islamophobia in South Korea
