Word of Life Press (Korea)

Overview

Word of Life Press is a Christian publishing house founded in Korea by the American mission agency TEAM (The Evangelical Alliance Mission). In addition to publishing Christian books, it operates Christian bookstores. Its stated mission is literature ministry, the work of spreading the gospel through books and printed materials. It is regarded as one of the long-established Christian publishers in Korea.

Founding and History

Word of Life Press was started in 1953, shortly after the Korean War, by TEAM missionaries. Its first activity was distributing gospel tracts, short printed presentations of the gospel handed out to the public. It later expanded from evangelistic booklets to general books.

According to a 2010 article in the Korea Christian Press, Word of Life Press at that time had about 1,700 titles in print. It released roughly 100 new titles each year, printed more than two million copies annually, and operated ten bookstores in Korea and abroad as well as an online bookstore. Its president at the time was Kim Chang-young. The publisher states that it has published some 6,000 Christian titles to date.

Principal Activities

• Publishing: It publishes Christian books and evangelistic booklets. Because it began with gospel tracts, it is still regarded as having a strongly evangelical character.
• Bookstores: It has operated Christian bookstores in Seoul-area locations including Gangnam, Gwanghwamun, and Bundang.
• Distribution: As a wholesale distributor, it has supplied books to churches and bookstores, providing stock to multiple retail outlets.
• Seasonal events: Its bookstores have held reader events tied to the church calendar. It is reported to have held egg-wrapping speed contests at Easter and contests for peeling the longest apple skin at Thanksgiving.
• Emblem: Its logo combines a Bible and a torch.

Affiliation and Relationships

Word of Life Press is a publishing house, not an interdenominational association with member denominations. It was founded not by a denomination but by TEAM, a mission agency. The similarly named Word of Life Mission (Saengmyeongui Malsseum Seongyohoe), which began its activities in 1983, is a separate organization.

Assessment

The Korea Christian Press described Word of Life Press as one of Korea's leading long-established Christian publishers. It also credited the publisher with upholding the principles of evangelical publishing even at the cost of profit. In the same article, then-president Kim Chang-young said that readers' trust in the publisher when choosing books was a great source of strength in resisting passing trends.