Classification Protestant Polity Presbyterian Region Korea | Orientation Calvinist Founder Seo Sang-ryun Phone +82 2-821-8005 | |
Origin 1884 when a church was founded in
Hwanghae province. Address 545 Sangdo 1(il)-dong, Dongjak-gu, Seoul, South Korea Separations Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea Similar 대한예수교장로회총회, 총신대학교, 온누리교회, (재단)대한예수교장로회통회, 영락교회 | ||
Presbyterian Church of Korea (PCK) was a Protestant denomination based in South Korea; it is currently separated to many branches.
The first Korean Presbyterian minister was Seo Sang-ryun, who founded a church in Hwanghae province in 1884. Shortly thereafter, several foreign Presbyterian missionaries arrived on the peninsula, including Horace Allen, Horace G. Underwood, and Henry Davies.
Like other Christian groups, the Korean Presbyterians such as Gil Seon-ju were closely involved in the peaceful March 1st Movement for Korean independence in 1919.
By 1937, the Presbyterian churches were largely independent of financial support from the United States.
Presbyterianism in Korea was reconstructed after World War II in 1947. The church adopted the name the Reformed Church in Korea. In the 1950s, the church suffered tensions because of issues of theology, ecumenism, and worship. In 1959, the Presbyterian Church of Korea broke into two equal sections: the Presbyterian Church in Korea (TongHap) and The Presbyterian Church in Korea (HapDong).
In the 1950s, the PCK was cut off from believers in North Korea, and three schisms occurred. In the first of these, the Gosin group split off in 1952. In the second, the "Presbyterian Church of the Republic of Korea" separated from the PCK in 1953. In the third schism thus far, the Hapdong faction separated in 1959.