I've always wondered how widely Christmas is celebrated in South Korea since Christianity is not the dominant religion, but still holds a part of their population. In 2015, about 20% are Protestant and 7% Catholic making up under a third of their population. Almost 60% have declared that they affiliate with no religion despite the official religion being Buddhist. Yet regardless of which religion practiced, most Koreans practice Confucian beliefs and morals in their daily lives.
Christmas has been declared a national holiday unlike other East Asian countries, but it is celebrated quite differently from the US. While there are decorations in big cities and major businesses, the emphasis is not on gifts an a lot of decorations that start in November as it does in the US. It is focused more on the religious background of the holiday, so many Christian families will go to church services and young groups will go caroling. Santa is an symbol for Christmas there as well, but he is known as Grandpa Santa or Santa harabeoji 할아버지 which ties to the Confucian moral of family. Santa is regarded as a family member who is caring for his children and can wear either a red or blue suit representing the two national colors of South Korea.
For food, it is popular to go out to a restaurant or a Christmas buffet. It is also common for couples or groups of friends to celebrate this holiday together and then spend New Year's with their families, which is usually switched in the US. Usually one gift is given to each person instead of piles of presents. Although it is widely recognized and celebrated in South Korea, you can see the Confucian values playing a role as well.
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ks.html ;
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