History of The Salvation Army in Korea

Background

The Salvation Army began in London, England, in 1865 as the East London Christian Mission, founded by William Booth and his wife, Catherine Booth, to evangelize the poor. It adopted its present name in 1878, when it took on a military-style organization. Theologically, it belongs to the Wesleyan Holiness movement, which emerged from Methodism. The mission to Korea is said to have originated with a request from Korean students studying abroad who attended Booth's evangelistic campaign in Japan in 1907.

Development

Beginning of the Mission and Early Growth

• October 1908: Colonel Robert Hoggard (known in Korea as Heo Ga-du), an Englishman sent by Booth, arrived in Seoul with his wife by way of Japan, marking the beginning of The Salvation Army in Korea. Colonel is one of the ranks held by Salvation Army officers.
• August 1909: The work spread to the provinces, with a Salvation Army corps established in Daegu, among other places.
• 1916: Records indicate that the movement had grown to 78 corps, 87 officers, and approximately 4,800 members.
• From 1918: The Army opened soup kitchens for the destitute and firewood distribution centers to aid the urban poor.
• December 15, 1928: Joseph Barr (known in Korea as Park Jun-seop), then the territorial commander, set up Red Kettles in downtown Seoul. The first campaign ran for 16 days at 20 locations and raised about 850 won, which was used to provide food, winter clothing, and fuel for city residents.

Persecution in the Late Japanese Colonial Period

In the early 1940s, the Army's activities were halted under pressure from the Japanese colonial authorities. Accounts of the details vary among sources. Some state that it was renamed the Gusedan ("Salvation Corps") in 1941 and then forcibly dissolved in 1943, while others state that its evangelistic activities were banned in 1942.

Reconstruction

After Korea's liberation, a new territorial commander is reported to have arrived in 1947 and resumed operations. The Army subsequently rebuilt its work through the period of the Korean War. In 1965 the kettle was replaced with a red cylindrical tin container, and in 2004 with a sturdier steel one. The Korean mission marked its centennial in 2008.

Results and Influence

The Salvation Army in Korea has established itself as a denomination that combines church ministry with social welfare work. Today the denomination's official name is The Salvation Army Korea Territory. According to the Kookmin Ilbo, most of the more than 300 Salvation Army corps in the country directly operate or support local social welfare facilities. Military terminology is used within the church: a local church is called a "corps," a minister an "officer," a member an "adherent," a person corresponding to a baptized member a "soldier," and the seminary a "training college."

Assessment

The Salvation Army became widely known in Korea through the Red Kettle campaign of 1928. The year-end Red Kettle has grown beyond the denomination to become one of Korean society's leading winter fundraising campaigns. At the same time, The Salvation Army does not observe the sacraments. Because most Protestant denominations, including Presbyterians and Methodists, observe baptism and the Lord's Supper as sacraments, this is a distinguishing characteristic of The Salvation Army.