The ‘early modern period in Korea ’ refers to the 100-year period spanning the last decades of the Joseon dynasty and the 35-year-long colonial period, when for the first time in its history the country came into full contact with western civilization. Buddhist paintings produced during this relatively short period account for about 70% of the Buddhist paintings extant in Korea, and differ from earlier works in terms of the images portrayed and the techniques of expression employed. It is interesting to note that the Buddhist paintings produced during this period display both the themes and customs prevalent at that time and aspects of the civilizations introduced to the country during the same period, in addition to embodying newly adopted forms of Buddhist images. As for the techniques of expression, many of the Buddhist paintings produced in the period appear to have made attempts at diversity, including the adoption of western styles. It is thought that such works had some influence on the propagation of Buddhism among the grassroots populace, largely by attracting their attention with their visual virtuosity. Around 1910, under the influence of foreign religions, Buddhism began to be propagated by more modern means. Under these circumstances, visual images, along with document-based propagation, must have played a useful role in attracting people to Buddhism. It is thought that Buddhism-related publications - first distributed in the 1910s or so - were very effective in propagating the religion.