Seoul Korea Temple
Encyclopedia
The Seoul Korea Temple is the 37th operating temple
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It is located in Seoul
, South Korea
.
The first member of the LDS Church in South Korea
was baptized in 1951. At that time Korea was in the midst of a war
against Communist armies, with the UN intervening. Mormon servicemen from the United States
were the first to bring Mormonism to the area.
The first Mormon missionaries
arrived in South Korea in 1954. Some years later Boyd K. Packer
, an apostle of the Church, was assigned to travel to South Korea and find a place in which to build an LDS Temple. After considering several locations, Packer eventually chose the property which the Church had purchased almost two decades earlier. In 1981 the announcement was made for a temple in Seoul.
Apostle Gordon B. Hinckley
dedicated the Seoul Korea Temple on December 14, 1985. The temple walls feature Korean granite
with six white spires. A traditional, tiled "hundred-year roof" gives the temple a uniquely Korean appearance. Inside, the temple is decorated with delicate brush paintings, intricate wooden molding, silk wall coverings, gold leaf
, dome chandeliers, and white lacquer furniture inlaid with mother of pearl.
After the temple was dedicated, a subway system was built in conjunction with the 1988 Summer Olympics
in Seoul. The system included a line that ended right at the base of the hill upon which the temple was built, making the temple even more accessible for LDS Church members.
The Seoul Korea Temple has a total of 28057 square feet (2,606.6 m²), four ordinance rooms, and three sealing rooms.
Temple (LDS Church)
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , a temple is a building dedicated to be a House of the Lord, and they are considered by Church members to be the most sacred structures on earth. Upon completion, temples are usually open to the public for a short period of time...
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It is located in Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
.
The first member of the LDS Church in South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
was baptized in 1951. At that time Korea was in the midst of a war
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
against Communist armies, with the UN intervening. Mormon servicemen from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
were the first to bring Mormonism to the area.
The first Mormon missionaries
Mormon missionary
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the most active modern practitioners of missionary work, with over 52,000 full-time missionaries worldwide, as of the end of 2010...
arrived in South Korea in 1954. Some years later Boyd K. Packer
Boyd K. Packer
Boyd Kenneth Packer is an American educator and religious leader, and the current president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . He served as Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve from 1994 to 2008, and has been an apostle and member of...
, an apostle of the Church, was assigned to travel to South Korea and find a place in which to build an LDS Temple. After considering several locations, Packer eventually chose the property which the Church had purchased almost two decades earlier. In 1981 the announcement was made for a temple in Seoul.
Apostle Gordon B. Hinckley
Gordon B. Hinckley
Gordon Bitner Hinckley was an American religious leader and author who served as the 15th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from March 12, 1995 until his death...
dedicated the Seoul Korea Temple on December 14, 1985. The temple walls feature Korean granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
with six white spires. A traditional, tiled "hundred-year roof" gives the temple a uniquely Korean appearance. Inside, the temple is decorated with delicate brush paintings, intricate wooden molding, silk wall coverings, gold leaf
Gold leaf
right|thumb|250px|[[Burnishing]] gold leaf with an [[agate]] stone tool, during the water gilding processGold leaf is gold that has been hammered into extremely thin sheets and is often used for gilding. Gold leaf is available in a wide variety of karats and shades...
, dome chandeliers, and white lacquer furniture inlaid with mother of pearl.
After the temple was dedicated, a subway system was built in conjunction with the 1988 Summer Olympics
1988 Summer Olympics
The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were an all international multi-sport events celebrated from September 17 to October 2, 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. They were the second summer Olympic Games to be held in Asia and the first since the 1964 Summer Olympics...
in Seoul. The system included a line that ended right at the base of the hill upon which the temple was built, making the temple even more accessible for LDS Church members.
The Seoul Korea Temple has a total of 28057 square feet (2,606.6 m²), four ordinance rooms, and three sealing rooms.
See also
- List of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- List of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by geographic region
- Comparison of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsComparison of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsBelow is a chronological list of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with sortable columns. In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a temple is a building dedicated to be a House of the Lord, and considered by church members to be the most sacred structures on earth...
- Temple architecture (Latter-day Saints)
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in South KoreaThe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in South KoreaAs of year-end 2007, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had 80,421 members, 17 stakes, 6 districts, 94 wards, and 49 branches in South Korea.-History:...
- Han In SangHan In SangHan In Sang was a general authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1991 and 1996. Han was the first Korean Latter-day Saint to become a general authority of the LDS Church....