Yang Jeon-baek

Life

Yang Jeon-baek is believed to have been born in North Pyeongan Province in the late Joseon period. As a child he studied the Chinese classics (Confucian learning written in Classical Chinese), and he reportedly embraced Christianity as a young man.

He later entered the Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Pyongyang to study theology. In June 1907 he became one of its first graduates, together with Kil Sun-joo, Lee Ki-poong, Bang Gi-chang, Seo Gyeong-jo, Han Seok-jin, and Song In-seo. That same year, with the organization of the Independent Presbytery (the first presbytery of the Korean Presbyterian Church), these seven men became the first Koreans to be ordained as Presbyterian ministers.

Ministry and Accomplishments

After his ordination he reportedly ministered chiefly in the Seoncheon area of North Pyeongan Province. At the time, Seoncheon was one of the centers of Presbyterian activity in northwestern Korea.

In 1911, when the Japanese colonial authorities orchestrated the 105-Man Incident and arrested large numbers of Christians and nationalist activists in the northwest, Yang was among those arrested and tried. He is reported to have been released afterward.

During the March 1st Movement of 1919, he was one of the 33 national representatives who signed the Declaration of Independence, and he was arrested and imprisoned as a result. Records also indicate that he served as moderator of the Presbyterian General Assembly.

Influence on the Korean Church

Yang Jeon-baek belonged to the first generation of pastors who ushered in an era in which Koreans, rather than missionaries, led the church. The ordination of these first seven ministers is often cited as a concrete realization of the principles of self-support and self-government advanced by the Nevius Mission Plan. His life also illustrates how deeply faith and the national movement were intertwined in the early Korean Presbyterian Church. Along with Kil Sun-joo, he is regarded as one of the Presbyterian ministers involved in both the 105-Man Incident and the March 1st Movement.

Assessment

The Korean church honors him as an early pastor and as a believer who took part in the national independence movement. The government of the Republic of Korea reportedly conferred a posthumous decoration on him in recognition of his contributions to the independence movement. However, the role played by the 33 national representatives in the March 1st Movement remains a subject of differing assessments among scholars and the public. No criticism specific to Yang Jeon-baek himself has been identified.