- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in South Korea
As of year-end 2006,
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had 79,652 members, 17 stakes, 6 districts, 96 wards, and 50 branches inSouth Korea . [LDS Newsroom (Statistical Information) [http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/contact-us/south-korea] ]History
Korea was introduced toThe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (also known as the Mormon or LDS Church) by church members serving in the U.S. military during theKorean War .Fact|date=February 2007The first Korean member of the Church was
Kim Ho Jik . Kim joined the Church in July 1951 while obtaining his doctorate atCornell University . [Palmer, Spencer J. "Kim Ho Jik" in Garr, Arnold K., Donald Q. Cannon and Richard O. Cowan, ed., "Encyclopedia of Latter-day Saint History". (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2000) p. 613]After finishing his doctorate he returned to Korea and served as the Minister of Education in the
Syngman Rhee administration.Fact|date=February 2007 As an influential figure in education and the community, he served in the Church and contributed immensely to the growth of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the country ofSouth Korea .Fact|date=February 2007During the Korean War, Korean citizens who worshiped with U.S. military servicemen at LDS Church services in Pusan and Seoul began to be baptized members of the Church.
Elders
Don G. Powell andRichard L. Detton , the first missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were sent to the Republic of Korea (South Korea) on April 20th 1956.In 1967 the first Korean version of The
Book of Mormon : Another Testament of Jesus Christ was published.April 14th 1985, the Korean Temple for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was dedicated. In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, there is a distinction between a meeting house and a Temple. By 1985 there were numerous meeting houses or “churches” for the members of the Church to worship in, but this was the first, and as of 2006 the only, Temple for the Church in Korea.
Currently The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has approximately 76,000 members and 450 full time missionaries serving in at least 4 missions in the Republic of Korea.Fact|date=February 2007
In 2005 the Church changed it’s name in Korea from “말일성도 예수 그리스도 교회” to it’s current name: “예수 그리스도 후기 성도 교회.” The official Korean language site for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is: http://www.lds.or.kr/
Notes
References
*cite web |url=http://library.lds.org/nxt/gateway.dll/Magazines/Ensign/1988.htm/ensign%20july%201988.htm/kim%20ho%20jik%20korean%20pioneer.htm |title=Kim Ho Jik: Korean Pioneer |accessdate=2006-10-30 |last=Roy |first=Denny |year=1988 |month=July |work=Ensign |publisher=The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
*cite web |url=http://library.lds.org/nxt/gateway.dll/Magazines/Ensign/1997.htm/ensign%20october%201997.htm/pioneering%20in%20south%20korea.htm |title=Pioneering in South Korea |accessdate=2006-10-30 |last=Palmer |first=Spencer |year=1997 |month=October |format= |work=Ensign |publisher=The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
*cite web |url=http://library.lds.org/nxt/gateway.dll/Magazines/Ensign/1992.htm/ensign%20july%201992%20.htm/korea%20land%20of%20the%20morning%20calm.htm |title=Korea: Land of The Morning Calm |accessdate=2006-10-30 |last=Ricks |first=Kellene |year=1992 |month=July |work=Ensign |publisher=The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.