YWCA of Korea

Overview

YWCA is an abbreviation of Young Women's Christian Association; in Korean the organization is called Gidokgyo Yeoja Cheongnyeonhoe. The YWCA movement began in Britain in the mid-nineteenth century, and as it spread around the world, national organizations formed in many countries; the YWCA of Korea is one of them. It is an interdenominational organization and is not affiliated with any particular denomination. It has served as a means by which lay women put their faith into practice through social engagement beyond the walls of the church.

Founding and History

• Around 1921, Kim Pil-rye, who was planning to establish a YWCA, reportedly met Kim Hwal-lan through an introduction by Alice R. Appenzeller, principal of Ewha Haktang, and the two joined forces.
• On March 27, 1922, a preparatory meeting was held at the Joseon Women's Education Association, and a slate of officers was formed with Yu Gak-gyeong as president. That same year Kim Hwal-lan and Kim Pil-rye attended the World Student Christian Federation conference in Beijing and sought the cooperation of leaders from other countries. The requirement of approval from the YWCA of Japan was reportedly resolved when Kim Pil-rye met with the general secretary of the YWCA of Japan.
• In 1922 the National Council of the Joseon Young Women's Christian Association (Joseon Yeoja Gidokgyo Cheongnyeonhoe Yeonhaphoe) was launched and held its first haryeonghoe (summer retreat). That year YWCAs were established in Seoul and Gwangju, and local organizations were later formed in northern regions as well, including Hamhung, Pyongyang, Wonsan, Sonchon, and Anju.
• In 1924 it formally joined the World YWCA.
• In 1941 it was absorbed into the YWCA of Japan, and its independent activities ceased. After liberation, in 1946, it was reestablished under Kim Hwal-lan's leadership as the National Council of the Korean Young Women's Christian Association (Daehan Yeoja Gidokgyo Cheongnyeonhoe Yeonhaphoe), and in 1947 it launched its official publication, Korea YWCA.
• According to the YWCA of Korea, it hosted the World YWCA centennial convention in Seoul in 1995. In 1997 it adopted a statement of purpose.

Major Activities

• Japanese colonial period: The organization began with educational work for women, including lectures, Bible study, and night schools. It later broadened its activities to include campaigns against illiteracy, the promotion of domestic products (the Korean Production Movement), temperance and anti-smoking efforts, the abolition of licensed (state-sanctioned) prostitution, and the elimination of child marriage.
• After liberation: It worked to protect the rights and interests of working women and to expand their vocational opportunities. It campaigned against the "female bank clerk marriage pledge," a practice under which female bank employees were required to sign a pledge to resign upon marriage, and against early mandatory retirement ages for women. It also campaigned for revision of the family law.
• Late 1980s onward: It conducted the Right Living Practice Movement, which emphasized economic self-reliance, along with everyday environmental campaigns and programs for peaceful reunification. It also took part in the movement to abolish the hoju (family head) system. In 2015 it designated gender equality as its national priority campaign, and in 2018 it issued a statement supporting the #MeToo movement.

Organization and Membership

The YWCA of Korea is not an ecumenical body composed of denominations. Rather, local YWCAs (member YWCAs) made up of individual members together form the national federation, the YWCA of Korea. According to the federation's 2019 data, there are 52 member YWCAs nationwide. In its early years the organization also established school-based branches in addition to local ones. The national federation is a member of the World YWCA.

Assessment

The YWCA of Korea describes itself as having trained women leaders in many fields and as having led efforts to expand women's human rights through the turbulent periods of modern Korean history. Lee Hee-ho, then First Lady, attended its 80th anniversary ceremony, held in 2002 at the YWCA Building in Myeong-dong, Seoul, and delivered congratulatory remarks.