History of Korean Church Missions

Background

Korean Protestantism took root in the late nineteenth century through the work of foreign missionaries. Once the church had established its organization, however, it soon began sending missionaries of its own. The starting point most often cited is 1907. That year the Independent Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church in Korea, the first presbytery to unite Presbyterian churches across the country, was organized. The Independent Presbytery sent Yi Ki-p'ung, one of the first seven Korean ministers to be ordained, as a missionary to Jeju Island. Although Jeju lies within Korea, the church at the time regarded this as the sending of a missionary.

Development

Japanese Colonial Period

• 1909: Korean students studying in Tokyo, Japan, requested a pastor. The Presbyterian Church sent the Rev. Han Sŏk-chin for a term of one month, and a Korean church was later established in Tokyo.
• 1912: The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Chosŏn resolved to send missionaries to China in commemoration of its founding. It also directed that churches throughout the country offer special prayers and a special offering for foreign missions each year on Thanksgiving Sunday.
• 1913: The Second General Assembly sent the Revs. Pak T'ae-ro, Sa Pyŏng-sun, and Kim Yŏng-hun to Shandong Province, China. Eight ordained ministers, along with female evangelists, lay physicians, and others, are known to have served in the mission until it was halted by the Communist takeover of China.

After Liberation

• 1955: The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Korea sent the Rev. Choi Chan-young as a missionary to Thailand. This took place before the Presbyterian Church divided into multiple denominations. Choi arrived in the field in June 1956, and the family of missionary Kim Sun-il joined him in November of that year. This is regarded as the first dispatch of an overseas missionary after the Korean War.
• 1990: On June 25, the Korea World Missions Association (KWMA), a council of churches and mission organizations, was founded.
• 1992: The establishment of diplomatic relations between South Korea and China reopened the way for mission work in China, which had been cut off.

Results and Impact

The KWMA and the Korea Research Institute for Mission (KRIM) released the "2024 Korean Mission Status Report." According to the report, 21,621 long-term missionaries of Korean nationality, belonging to 228 mission organizations and denominations, serve in 171 countries. By country of ministry, the largest estimated numbers serve in the United States (1,902), the Philippines (1,356), Japan (1,267), and Thailand (990). In Thailand, more than 1,700 Korean missionaries were counted as having served for a year or longer since 1956. The same survey counted 7,292 participants in short-term missions of less than one year, a sharp increase over the previous year.

Assessment

Within the Korean church, it is regarded as a notable achievement that a church which once received missionaries became, within a short period, a church sending missionaries to many nations. The Presbyterian Church's resolution to undertake foreign missions immediately after the founding of its General Assembly is frequently cited as an example of the importance the early Korean church placed on missions.

At the same time, a number of challenges have been noted. According to the 2024 survey, the proportion of long-term missionaries in their fifties and sixties is rising, while the proportion of those in their twenties through forties has declined every year over the past five years. The survey therefore projected a possible shortage of core personnel in about ten years. At an event marking seventy years of mission work in Thailand, a decline in newly sent missionaries, concentration in particular regions, and gaps in care for aging missionaries were also identified as challenges. As the number of foreign residents in Korea grows, mission work among immigrants is also gaining importance. However, the survey found that 80.9 percent of missionaries to immigrants have no sending organization and lack adequate financial and other support.