South Korea: Chronology

January 1921 • KoreaElder David O. McKay of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and Hugh J. Cannon passed through Korea on their journey around the world.

September 20, 1927 • HawaiʻiKim Chai Han was baptized abroad, becoming the first known Korean to be baptized.

1945–47 • KoreaThe first Church meetings in Korea were held by Latter-day Saints serving in the U.S. military. These servicemen later invited Korean friends to attend and speak at meetings.

1948 • KoreaTwo separate governments were created on the Korean peninsula: the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) and the Republic of Korea (South Korea).

June 1950–53 • South Korea and North KoreaDuring the Korean War, additional groups of Latter-day Saints serving in the United States military worshipped and shared the gospel in Korea.

1952 • South KoreaThe first Primary in South Korea was organized.

August 3, 1952 • Busan, South KoreaAfter Kim Ho Jik, who had joined the Church while studying in the United States, returned home to Korea, Han Yung Hee, Lee Sung Ja, Kim Tai Whan, and Kim Young Sook were baptized at Songdo Beach.

November 28, 1953 • BusanA major fire in downtown Busan destroyed the Base Chapel meetinghouse, destroying records and disrupting midweek activities for the group of roughly 300 Saints and friends. Sunday meetings continued at the Port Chapel with lower attendance.

February 1954 • Seoul, South KoreaThe first Korean-language Sunday School was organized, with Kim Ho Jik as superintendent.

dedication of the country

August 2, 1955 • Seoul

Elder Joseph Fielding Smith of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles dedicated South Korea for the preaching of the gospel. He also created the country’s first district, which included Korean-speaking branches in Seoul and Busan, with Kim Ho Jik as president.

1956 • South KoreaLee Young Bum became the first full-time missionary from South Korea.

April 11, 1957 • SeoulWith the help of district president Kim Ho Jik, the Church secured legal recognition from the government of the Republic of Korea.

August 25, 1957 • Busan and SeoulThe Southern Branch Relief Society was organized in Busan, with Kim Do Pil as president. A Relief Society was also organized in Seoul.

1962 • South KoreaA translation of 3 Nephi from the Book of Mormon was published in Korean. A complete Korean translation of the Book of Mormon was published in 1967.

July 1962 • South KoreaThe Korean Mission was organized.

1963 • South KoreaThe first Latter-day Saint hymnbook in Korean was published.

March 3, 1963 • South KoreaThe Korean District Relief Society was organized.

1965 • South KoreaMission president Spencer J. Palmer organized the Korean Mission Genealogical Committee to work with Korea’s carefully preserved genealogical records, and he appointed members to administer its affairs.

January 2, 1966 • South KoreaMembers and missionaries presented the first in a series of half-hour television programs about the Church.

September 10, 1966 • SeoulThe Seoul East Chapel, the first Church-built meetinghouse in South Korea, was dedicated.

April 1967 • Salt Lake City, UtahPark Youn Soon and Rhee Ho Nam became the first living Korean couple to be sealed in the temple.

May 1968 • South KoreaThe Mormon Tabernacle Choir’s weekly radio show Music & the Spoken Word began broadcasting on KBS Radio with messages translated into Korean.

August 1970 • Laie, HawaiʻiKorean Saints participated in the first group temple trip.

September 1972 • South KoreaUnder the direction of Rhee Ho Nam, the institute program was introduced in South Korea, with 403 students enrolled. At the end of 1975, there were over 2,000 students attending seminary and institute classes in South Korea.

March 8, 1973 • SeoulThe Seoul Korea Stake, the first stake in mainland Asia, was organized, with Rhee Ho Nam as president and Kim Chong Kyun as stake patriarch.

July 1, 1975 • BusanHan In Sang and his wife, Lee Kyn In, were called to preside over the newly organized Korean Pusan Mission. He was the first Korean to serve as a mission president.

August 15–17, 1975 • SeoulChurch President Spencer W. Kimball presided at the first area conference in Korea, which was attended by 13 General Authorities and Barbara Bradshaw Smith, General President of the Relief Society. At the conference, President Kimball announced to the Korean Saints plans to build a temple in Tokyo, the first temple in Asia.

1977 • Chungbuk, South KoreaThe first countrywide young adult conference was held.

1978 • South KoreaHan In Sang became the first Korean to be called as a regional representative to the Quorum of the Twelve. In 1991 he was called to the Second Quorum of the Seventy.

1979–86 • South KoreaStakes were organized in Seoul, Busan, Gwangju, Cheongju, Daegu, and Jeonju.

Seoul Korea Temple

December 14–15, 1985 • Seoul

The Seoul Korea Temple was dedicated by President Gordon B. Hinckley of the First Presidency.

1988 • SeoulThe Dongjak Ward hosted a friendship night for Latter-day Saint athletes competing in the Summer Olympics.

1990 • SeoulPak Byung Kyu and Rhee Young Ji became the first temple president and matron from South Korea.

1991 • South KoreaChurch membership surpassed 60,000.

July 6, 1997 • South KoreaKorean Saints participated in a special fast on behalf of the citizens of North Korea and made donations to the South Korean Red Cross. The Church matched all donations.

2000 • Salt Lake CityMembers of the Seoul Yeongdong Stake attended general conference in the new Conference Center. Other stakes in South Korea made similar visits later.

2005 • SeoulChurch President Gordon B. Hinckley joined with Korean Saints as they celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Church in Korea. New translations of the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price were released.

2007 • South KoreaChurch membership surpassed 80,000.

2011 • South KoreaIn anticipation of land redevelopment initiatives from various local governments, the Church began closing more than half of its meetinghouses and consolidating stakes and wards, resulting in new congregations that were, on average, double the size of the previous congregations.

November 25, 2017 • Pohang, South KoreaHelping Hands volunteers distributed food and mattresses to those affected by the Pohang earthquake.

February–March 2018 • Pyeongchang, South KoreaChurch members and missionaries supported the 2018 Winter Olympics by volunteering at the Helping Hands Center to provide interpretation services, family activities, refreshments, live Olympic broadcasts, and family history exploration.

May 26, 2018 • South KoreaOver 3,000 volunteers across the country participated in the first annual Helping Hands Korea Service Day.

July 31, 2018 • South KoreaThe Korean Bible (revised edition) was made available in the Gospel Library app.