Park Seong won

Current ecumenical involvement

At the local level, Park coordinates a programme of inter-seminary training with the goal of ecumenical formation for theology of life and social transformation. He is responsible for a series of lectures on ecumenism, worship and spirituality, economic justice and Ecological agriculture at the Youngnam Theological College and Seminary in Gyeongsan, Korea.

At the national level, Park serves the Ecumenical Committee of the Presbyterian Church of Korea and speaks to various groups on the theme of ecumenism, mission, economic justice, ecology, life giving civilization, and worship and spirituality.

At the regional level, he is frequently engaged in meetings and conferences that are organized by the Christian Conference of Asia.

At the global level, since February 2006 Park has been serving the World Council of Churches as a member of its Central Committee. Since 2007, he has been serving the “Oikotree Movement” - World Council of Churches (WCC)-Council for World Mission (CWM)-World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) Joint Movement for Covenanting for Justice - as co-moderator.

Past ecumenical involvement

From 1986 to 1990, Park worked in the WARC as Assistant to General Secretary, with the responsibility of coordinating a theological study programme, “Called to Witness to the Gospel Today”.

From 1992 to 1995 he was the Senior Minister of Pusanjin Presbyterian Church, the second oldest Protestant Church in Korea.

From 1995 to 2004 Park was invited again to work for the WARC as Executive Secretary of the Department of Cooperation and Witness. He has been WARC’s representative at the United Nations Commission on Human Rights from 1995 to 2004.

From 1995 to 2004, Park has been engaged in coordinating WARC programme, the processus confessionis, which was a WARC programme on faith response to economic injustice and ecological destruction. He was coordinator of “The Accra Confession”. From 2000 to 2004, he served the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance as a member of its Executive Committee.

Park organized the ecumenical worship for three consecutive General Councils of the WARC: Seoul in 1989, Debrecen in 1997 and Accra in 2004.

Education

Park received a bachelor's degree in Music from Hanyang University in Seoul, Korea in 1977. In 1982, he earned a master's degree from the Presbyterian College and Theological Seminary in Seoul. In December 1999, Park received a Doctoral Degree in theology from University of Bern in Switzerland.

Personal

Park and his wife have three daughters. In addition to Korean, he speaks English (fluent) and is able to use French and Chinese.

Professional experience

- 2007 ~ present: Co-moderator, WCC-CWM-WARC Joint Movement for Covenanting for Justice, “Oikotree Movement”

- 2006 ~ present: Member of the Central Committee, World Council of Churches (WCC)

- 2004 ~ present: Professor of Theology, Youngnam Theological College and Seminary, Kyeongsan, Republic of Korea

- 2005 -2006: Member of the Theological Commission, National Council of Churches in Korea (NCCK)

- 2001 ~ present: President, Korean Churches Together in Europe (KCTE)

- 2000 ~ 2004: Member of the Executive Committee, Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance

- 1997 ~ 2000: Adjuct Professor, Hanil Changshin University, Jeonju, Republic of Korea

- 1995 ~ 2004: Executive Secretary, Department of Cooperation and Witness, World Alliance of Reformed Churches

- 1992 ~ 1995: Senior Minister, Busanjin Presbyterian Church, Busan, Korea

- 1987 ~ 1991: Senior Minister, Korean Church in Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland

- 1986 ~ 1990: Consultant, World Alliance of Reformed Churches’ theological programme, “Called to Witness to the Gospel Today

- 1983 ~ 1986: Senior Minister, Dong Ihn Presbyterian Church, Seoul, Republic of Korea

- 1983 ~ 1986: Associate Professor, Seoul Jangshin Theological Seminary, Seoul, Republic of Korea

- 3 May 1982: Ordained into the Ministry of Word and Sacrament by the Seoul Northern Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church of Korea (PCK)

- 1980 ~ 1983: Assistant Pastor (Pre-Ordination), Sang Bong Presbyterian Church, Seoul, Republic of Korea

- 1980 ~ 1981: Teaching Fellow, Presbyterian Theological Seminary and College, Seoul, Republic of Korea

- 1980 ~ 1981: Assistant Pastor (Pre-Ordination), Young Eun Presbyterian Church, Seoul, Republic of Korea

- 1977 ~ 1980: Assistant Pastor (Pre-Ordination), Seo Kyo Dong Presbyterian Church, Seoul, Republic of Korea