Kidok Shinmun

Overview

The Kidok Shinmun is the denominational newspaper of the Presbyterian Church in Korea (HapDong) (PCK HapDong). A denominational newspaper is an official organ published directly by a denomination. From its first issue, the Kidok Shinmun has served as the official newspaper of the denomination's General Assembly. Its current publisher is the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Korea, an incorporated foundation, and its masthead title is The Weekly Kidok Shinmun. The name of the General Assembly moderator for the given year appears as publisher in the paper's imprint. Its editorial creed (sasi), the basic principles the newspaper has adopted, is "Preservation of the Reformed faith, unity of the church, and fellowship of the saints."

Founding and History

After the division of the Presbyterian Church in 1959, the HapDong side needed a newspaper to serve as the voice of its denomination. In these circumstances, the first issue appeared on January 4, 1965. It was a two-page biweekly tabloid; its first chairman of the board was the Rev. Kim Yun-chan, and its first president was Elder Kim Jeong-guk. The front page of the inaugural issue carried a headline proclaiming it "the only conservative paper in Korean church circles."

• In October 1965, beginning with issue no. 33, it expanded to four pages.
• In 1966 its title was changed to Kidok Shinbo.
• In March 1972 it ceased publication after issue no. 326 on the grounds that it lacked adequate facilities. It resumed publication in October of the same year as an eight-page paper.
• In September 1985 the 70th General Assembly resolved to require all church officers (deacons and above) in churches nationwide to subscribe to the newspaper. At the same Assembly, the board of directors was dissolved and the president was dismissed.
• In 1989 it was registered as a publisher.
• In September 1990 the 75th General Assembly resolved to incorporate the newspaper into the General Assembly Maintenance Foundation.
• In 1997 it readopted its original title, Kidok Shinmun.
• In 2025 it marked the 60th anniversary of its founding.

Principal Activities

The newspaper chiefly reports news of the denomination's General Assembly and presbyteries, as well as of its affiliated institutions and member churches. It also carries feature articles on theology and pastoral ministry and covers news of the broader church world. In addition to its print edition, it operates an online newspaper and has launched a video news channel, Kidok Shinmun News G. In its 60th-anniversary special edition, the newspaper stated that it had been published without interruption since 1965. Its recorded history, however, notes a period of about seven months in 1972 during which the paper did not appear.

Publisher and Organization

The Kidok Shinmun is not an independent news organization but an institution owned and operated by the denomination's General Assembly. It has been run by a board of directors, a president, an editor-in-chief, and a managing editor. Since its incorporation into the General Assembly Maintenance Foundation in 1990, it has been published in the name of the denomination's incorporated foundation. Each of the major Korean Presbyterian denominations maintains its own denominational newspaper, such as the Kidok Kongbo of the PCK (TongHap); the Kidok Shinmun is the leading publication of the HapDong side.

Assessment

From its founding, the Kidok Shinmun made clear its commitment to upholding conservative Reformed faith. Within the denomination, it is regarded as a publication that has documented the denomination's history and resolutions. At the same time, its history shows that the dissolution of its board, the dismissal of its president, mandatory subscription, and incorporation into the foundation were all carried out by resolution of the General Assembly. This indicates that the Assembly's decisions have directly shaped the newspaper's operations.