As of year-end 2007, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had 80,421 members, 17 stakes, 6 districts

District (LDS Church)

A district of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a geographical administrative unit composed of a number of congregations called branches. A district is a subdivision of a mission of the church and in many ways is analogous to a stake of the church. The leader of a district is the...

, 94 wards, and 49 branches 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...

.

History

Korea

Korea

Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...

 was introduced to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (also known as the Mormon or LDS Church) by church members serving in the U.S. military

Military of the United States

The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. They consist of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.The United States has a strong tradition of civilian control of the military...

 during the Korean 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...

.

The first Korean member of the Church was Kim Ho Jik

Kim Ho Jik

Kim Ho Jik was the first Korean convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was a key figure in opening South Korea to missionary work of the LDS Church. Kim was also vice-minister of education in the administration of South Korean president Syngman Rhee.Kim was born at...

. Kim joined the Church in July 1951 while obtaining his doctorate at Cornell University

Cornell University

Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...

.

After finishing his doctorate he returned to Korea and served as the Minister of Education in the Syngman Rhee

Syngman Rhee

Syngman Rhee or Yi Seungman was the first president of South Korea. His presidency, from August 1948 to April 1960, remains controversial, affected by Cold War tensions on the Korean peninsula and elsewhere. Rhee was regarded as an anti-Communist and a strongman, and he led South Korea through the...

 administration. As an influential figure in education and the community, he served in the Church and contributed immensely to the growth of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the country of 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...

.

During the Korean War, Korean citizens who worshiped with U.S. military servicemen at LDS Church services in Pusan and Seoul began to be baptized members of the Church.

Elders

Elder (Mormonism)

Elder is a priesthood office in the Melchizedek Priesthood of denominations within the Latter Day Saint movement, including The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints....

 Don G. Powell and Richard L. Detton, the first missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were sent to the Republic of Korea (South Korea) on April 20, 1956.

In 1967 the first Korean version of The Book of Mormon

Book of Mormon

The Book of Mormon is a sacred text of the Latter Day Saint movement that adherents believe contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from approximately 2600 BC to AD 421. It was first published in March 1830 by Joseph Smith, Jr...

: Another Testament of Jesus Christ was published.

Currently The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has approximately 76,000 members and 450 full time 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...

 serving in at least 4 missions

Missions of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

A mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a geographical administrative area to which church missionaries are assigned. Almost all areas of the world are within the boundaries of an LDS Church mission, whether or not Mormon missionaries live or proselytize in the area...

 in the Republic of Korea.

In 2005 the Church changed its name in Korea from “말일성도 예수 그리스도 교회” to its current name: “예수 그리스도 후기 성도 교회.” The official Korean language site for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is: http://www.lds.or.kr/

Membership History

Year	Membership
1954	64
1964	1,800
1975	9,000
1983	28,795
1990	59,000
1999	71,166
2008	81,251

Temples

April 14, 1985, the Korean Temple

Seoul Korea Temple

The Seoul Korea Temple is the 37th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . It is located in Seoul, South Korea....

 for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was dedicated. In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, there is a distinction between a meeting house and a Temple

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...

. By 1985 there were numerous meeting houses or “churches” for the members of the Church to worship in, but this was the first, and as of 2006 the only, Temple for the Church in Korea.
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External links

• LDS Newroom: Country Profile: South Korea
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - Official Site - South Korea (Korean)
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - Official Site - Worldwide (English)
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - Visitors Site