Are conservative attitudes in Korea towards family and sex because of Confucian roots and rising Christianity?

Question

In comparison with the U.S. and Europe, it seems Korea has drastically different values, and the family structure is more important.

Also, according to a health survey, only 12 percent of Korean girls in college reported being sexually active, which is alot lower then their western counterparts (i found it interesting however, that the % of korean males who reported to be sexually active is much higher at close to 50%, but then again i dont know how accurate the findings are.)

Is this because of differing attitudes in regards to religion and philosophy?

Answer 1

I would say it's more due to Confucianism than Christianity. All Koreans are Confucian to one degree or another, but not all are Christian.

Answer 2

I believe it has more to do with the traditional Korean culture and Confucian roots more than rising Christianity. Not all Koreans are Christians, but many Korean 20 somethings tend to be more conservative than their Western counterparts. I wouldn't believe the numbers - people lie all the time - girls underreport and guys tend to exaggerate. The number of sleazy and not so sleazy hourly love motels in Korea is staggering. I live in the northern outskirts of Seoul called Ilsan, a suburb famous for its bars and nightclubs. I can't tell you how many stories I have heard from my American and Canadian guy friends about the girls they slept with upon arriving in Korea. As an English instructor here for the year, I've witnessed countless numbers of young Koreans in bars and nightclubs out to get laid. Don't believe the numbers. They may be slightly lower than the US but the kids over here aren't that innocent either.

Answer 3

No way "only 12 percent of Korean girls in college reported being sexually active"

However, in those type of polls males will always report higher numbers than the females no matter what country you are surveying. If females are reporting12% and males are 50%, than both are roughly 30 ~ 40% sexually active.

Koreans "appear" to be less sexually active than Western citizens, and I'm sure it is. However, I doubt the difference is as significant as one may think.

Answer 4

It is more due to the Confucian roots, but you also discount the influence of Buddhism. And, as you look into Korean Buddhism you can find one more factor, perhaps the most important one, and that is Shamanism. Korean Buddhist temples are the only ones where they also have a separate Shaman shrine.
Most Koreans act in a very Confucian way whether they realize it or not. But every friend I have that has lost someone in their family went through the shaman burial procedures.

Many Korean males have their first sexual encounter during their military service, a time when 'normal' females are not available to them so they visit prostitutes. This is one cause of the discrepancy in the numbers.
Another possible cause is lying. Many Korean females are very sexually active but don't want to admit it. This is why you find hourly rate motels so prevalent around bars. The girls want to have a drink or two first so they can feel like they were seduced instead of admitting they were keen on the sex from the start.

Answer 5

It's Neo-Confucianism which Joseon Dynasty adopted as a national ethical, religious and philosophical system.