This article assesses the extent to which three religious communities in South Korea (Protestantism, Catholicism, and Buddhism) differ in their influence on individuals’ civic engagement and interpersonal trust—two components of social capital. Based on South Korea’s unique context, the author makes significant modifications to Anheier and Salamon’s ideas about religion. The author examines their four dimensions of the religions: an emphasis on charity and philanthropy, modularity, institutionalization, and autonomy. Regression analysis using data from the 1999-2002 World Values shows that Christianity increases individuals’ civic engagement, while Buddhism does not have an impact on civic engagement. With respect to trust, neither religious affiliation influences individuals’ interpersonal trust.
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