Reconstructing of identity through religious practices: Focusing on the case of Koryoin in Korea

This study analyzes the process through which repatriated Koryoin reconstruct and newly interpret their identities in South Korea through religious practices. In particular, the study focuses on the cases of Protestant church members, examining how they connect their past diasporic experiences with their present lives in Korean society and how they form new senses of belonging and self-identity. In this process, Koryoin churches serve not merely as spaces for preserving the culture of their countries of origin, but as sites where unique religious-cultural forms are created through worship styles, language use, and modes of community operation. Furthermore, Koryoin believers, through their faith, assign transcendent meaning to their migration histories and identities, and construct a new identity that interprets diasporic life as a religious “calling.” This study aims to reveal that such religious practices go beyond adaptation to Korean society or the maintenance of identity, and instead represent a process in which Koryoin actively reconstruct their identity by linking their past diasporic journeys with present religious practices.