American Methodist missionary John Ross and Korean scholar collaborated on Korean Bible translation, completed 1887. Ross arrived in Korea 1882, learning Korean and working with Korean Christians on translation. Translation used Hangul script (created 1443) making Bible accessible to common Koreans. This missionary linguistics work occurred during late Joseon dynasty when Korea faced Japanese and Western colonial pressure. Korean Bible became foundation for modern Korean literary development and Christian Korean cultural identity.

Korean Bible translation revitalized Hangul script use, enabling Korean Christian poetry and literature in native script rather than Chinese characters. The translation influenced modern Korean poetic traditions including Christian sijo poetry and biblical poetry. Korean Bible became foundation for 20th-century Korean nationalist literary movements, with Christian Korean poets using biblical imagery in resistance literature against Japanese colonization.