Hansei University

Overview

Hansei University is a private comprehensive university in Dangjeong-dong, Gunpo, Gyeonggi Province. It was founded as the theological training institution of the Korea Assemblies of God, a denomination in the Pentecostal tradition that emphasizes the gifts and experience of the Holy Spirit. Today, in addition to theology, it has a range of general undergraduate colleges and graduate schools.

Founding and History

• On May 10, 1953, with support from the mission board of the American Assemblies of God, the school opened as Full Gospel Theological Seminary in Daejo-dong, then part of Seodaemun District, Seoul. It began with a single department of theology and 50 entering students; its first principal was the American missionary A. B. Chesnut.
• In 1976, after Pastor David Yonggi Cho became chairman of the school's supporters' association, a new campus was built in Dangjeong-dong, Gunpo, and the school relocated there. The move is reported to have taken place in 1979.
• In 1981 the Full Gospel Educational Foundation received authorization as a school corporation, and in 1985 the school was designated an institution whose four-year program was recognized as equivalent to a university education.
• In 1990 it was elevated to an accredited theological college and renamed Full Gospel Theological College; in the early 1990s it was renamed again as Soonshin University.
• In September 1997 it adopted its current name, Hansei University. It subsequently established the Graduate School of Social Welfare and the Graduate School of Education (1999), the Graduate School of Professional Ministry (2000), and others.

Kim Sung-hae, the wife of Pastor David Yonggi Cho, served as vice president and then as president from 2001 until her death in 2021. The current president is Baek In-ja.

Major Activities

• Theological education: Theological education has been central to the school since its founding, and in 1988 it opened departments of pastoral ministry and church music. The affiliated Youngsan Global Theological Institute publishes the Journal of Youngsan Theology and holds pastoral seminars. "Youngsan" is reportedly David Yonggi Cho's pen name.
• Campus events: The university holds a festival in May commemorating Pentecost and an academic festival in October.
• International exchange: The university opened a Korean Language Institute in 2006 and maintains sister-school relationships with a number of universities abroad.
• Inter-university cooperation: In response to the declining school-age population, the university signed an agreement with Korea Nazarene University and Sungkyul University to form a university alliance.

Founding Denomination and Supporting Bodies

Hansei University began as a theological training institution under the Korea Assemblies of God. Yoido Full Gospel Church has long served as a major supporter, and at the thanksgiving service marking the school's 73rd anniversary the church presented a donation to the university development fund. The university states that it maintains its identity as a Christian university on the basis of the church's spiritual and financial support.

Controversies and Assessments

In 2019 the investigative news outlet Newstapa reported the following:

• President Kim Sung-hae had been reappointed to another term, and the third son of David Yonggi Cho and Kim Sung-hae had been newly appointed to the board of the university's educational foundation.
• The university had dismissed an employee with a disability, prompting a series of protests condemning the dismissal.

According to the same report, Yoido Full Gospel Church formed a fact-finding committee to investigate various allegations involving David Yonggi Cho's family. The committee reportedly recommended replacing the Hansei University board, which was composed of close associates of President Kim Sung-hae. These accounts derive from media reports and the church's internal investigation; this article has not confirmed the outcome of any subsequent legal proceedings.