YMCA of Korea

Overview

The YMCA of Korea is the Korean organization of the Young Men's Christian Association. It is an interdenominational organization that belongs to no particular denomination and is led chiefly by laypeople rather than clergy. Alongside its work as a faith movement, it has carried out educational, enlightenment, athletic, and civic activities. Local YMCAs across the country together form the National Council of YMCAs of Korea.

Founding and History

• In 1901 a student YMCA was established at Pai Chai Haktang.
• On October 28, 1903, people from five nations—Korea, the United States, Great Britain, China, and Japan—held the founding general assembly of the Hwangseong Christian Young Men's Association in Jeong-dong, Seoul. Philip Gillett, who had been sent from the United States, prepared for the founding, and Homer Hulbert, chairman of the preparatory advisory committee, presided over the assembly. Sources variously list either Hulbert or James Scarth Gale as the first president. The association is regarded as the first organization to use the word "youth" (cheongnyeon) in its official name.
• With the participation of figures such as Yi Sang-jae, Yun Chi-ho, and Cho Man-sik, the association held night schools, lectures on current affairs, and a summer conference for young students (haryeonghoe, 1910). It also built a three-story brick headquarters in Jongno, Seoul.
• In April 1914 the Hwangseong Christian Young Men's Association and nine student YMCAs joined to form the Union of Korean YMCAs (Joseon Christian Young Men's Association Union). This was the origin of today's National Council of YMCAs of Korea.
• The organization suffered Japanese colonial repression in events such as the 105-Man Incident, and in 1938 it was incorporated into the Japanese YMCA. The Jongno building was destroyed during the Korean War and rebuilt in 1967.

Major Activities

• Japanese colonial period: The Seoul YMCA regards itself as having taken a leading role in the February 8 Declaration of Independence and the March First Movement. In the 1920s it carried out the Korean Products Promotion Movement and a rural training-institute movement, and it helped found the YWCA of Korea, the Boy Scouts, and the Singanhoe. It also served as a channel for introducing modern sports to Korea.
• After liberation: Around the time of the Korean War it engaged in relief work, and from the 1950s onward it led youth movements. In the 1970s it created the "YMCA Social Development Corps," a Citizens' Forum, and a Citizens' Complaint Center, and it later expanded into consumer, environmental, and human rights movements. This trajectory is also connected with the church and the democratization movement.
• Recent years: It conducts a mock-election campaign for young people who are not yet eligible to vote. At its 110th anniversary in 2024, it announced five movement priorities, including peace and reunification and climate justice.

Organization

The organization is not an ecumenical body in which denominations hold membership; rather, each local YMCA is a member of the National Council. The National Council decides major matters through its national convention and general assembly. Its motto, "That they all may be one," is drawn from John 17:20–23. As a guiding principle, it upholds a system of joint governance by volunteer leaders and professional staff.

Controversies and Assessment

The YMCA of Korea is regarded as a pioneer of the Korean civil society movement. In the 1990s, however, it was criticized internally as a "membership movement without members" for excessively pursuing revenue and expansion. The Seoul YMCA is the parent body of the YMCA of Korea, but after a conflict with the National Council over the right of women members to participate in the general assembly, it is reportedly no longer a member of the National Council.