Until the 1990s, most Korean Bible translations used old-fashioned, antiquated language. This made it difficult for Christians that preferred colloquial terms to comprehend what the Bible said. By the 1990s, more colloquial and contemporary versions of the Korean Bible came about for Christians, which made it easier for them to comprehend and understand the words from the Bible in a more precise way.
Conventional
Prior to 1784
Prior to 1784, the small number of Christians in Korea had used Chinese Bibles, as those were written in Classical Chinese which are shared between the two countries.
Before 1945
1784 - Literal Translated Bible - Roman Catholic. First all Korean language Bible. John the Baptist Choi Chang Hyun 's translation. The main text of The Occidental Sciences Books written in Chinese characters introduced in the Orient by Portuguese Jesuit missionary Rev. E. Diaz
1900 - Henry G. Appenzeller New Testament. Methodist Episcopal. Appenzeller's team includes Horace Grant Underwood, William B. Scranton and James Scarth Gale
1910 - Four Gospels by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Korea. Rev. Paul Han Gi Gun and Rev. James Son Sung Jae complete the Gospels from the Vulgate Latin version.
1910 - Korean Bible. William D. Reynolds with Lee Seung Doo and Kim Jeong Sam complete the Old Testament.
1925 - The Gale Bible. James Scarth Gale's private translation
1923 - Fenwick New Testament. Malcolm C. Fenwick
1938 - Old Korean Revised Version KBS
1941 - The EpistlesㆍApocalypse by Rev. Arnulf Schleicher, O.S.B.
After independence
1958 - Book Of Genesis by Rev. Lawrence Seon Jong Wan of Roman Catholic.
1959 - Books Of ExodusㆍLeviticusㆍNumbersㆍDeuteronomyㆍJoshuaㆍJudgesㆍRuthㆍ1&2 Samuelㆍ1&2 Kings and Prophecy Of Isaias by Rev. Lawrence Seon Jong Wan of Roman Catholic.
1961 - KRV Korean Revised Version. This version used to be a standard version for several decades in most Korean Protestant denominations and it was replaced by the New Korean Revised Version in mainstream Korean Protestant denominations in the mid-2000s. However, it is still in use in some conservative minor Protestant denominations. Revised 1998. KBS
1963 - Prophecy&Lamentations Of Jeremias and Prophecy Of Baruch by Rev. Lawrence Seon Jong Wan of Roman Catholic.
1977 - CTB Common Translation Bible - 1999 Common Translation with minor corrections KBS. Worked by Catholic priests and liberal Protestant scholars or pastors. This ecumenical translation had been a standard bible for the Roman Catholic Church in Korea from 1977 to 2005. This revised version is used by the Anglican Church of Korea and the Orthodox Church of Korea.
1983/1984 - CTBP Common Translation Bible Pyongyang version. Produced by the government controlled Korean Christian Association in North Korea, it is based on the CTB. The New Testament was printed in 1983 and the Old Testament in 1984. The revised edition from 1990 contains both in one volume.
Contemporary
1985 - KLB Korean Living Bible. A Korean re-translation of the Living Bible
–1993 - NKSB New Korean Standard Bible, Its literary style is contemporary. However, due to disputes by conservative evangelicals, it failed to gain the status as the standard lectionary bible in mainstream Korean Protestant churches. rev. 2001 2004 KBS.
1994 - Agape Easy Bible Agape Publishers
1998 - NKRV New Korean Revised Version KBS. Some archaic words are revised into contemporary words, but the old-fashioned literary style of the Korean Revised Version is still retained. It is the standard Bible in use in most Korean Protestant denominations, replacing the Korean Revised Version.
2008 - Pyongyang Bible. DPRK orthography and vocabulary differs from ROK usage.
2008 - True Bible, Korean Society of Holy Bible
2014 - Revised New World Translation, produced by Jehovah's Witnesses.
Authorization by major denominations
The Holy Bible, translated by the Catholic Bishop's conference in 2005, which became the standard Bible for the Catholic Church in Korea.
Protestant denominations authorize NKRV New Korean Revised Version, KRV Korean Revised Version, RNSV Revised New Korean Standard Version, and CTB Common Translation Bible for their services.
The conservative denominations in the Christian Council of Korea commonly authorize KRV Korean Revised Version and NKRV New Korean Revised Version. NKRV is more popular for liturgical uses, but due to its old-fashioned style, other versions with the contemporary language are frequently read in the youth services.
Other mainstream denominations with the liberal affiliations choose RNSV as well.
The ecumenical CTB, once used in the Catholic Church and a number of protestant churches in the 1990s, lost its popularity as the Catholic Church moves out from using it for liturgical purposes. CTB is now authorized by the Anglican Church of Korea and Korean Orthodox Church.
