Korean Church Calls for Return to Its Core Mission Amid Growing Influence
Creatrip Team
2 months ago
At a New Year press briefing, Kim Jeong-seok, newly elected chair of the Korea Christian Federation (HanKyotong), said Korea’s Protestant churches have grown explosively and amassed too much power, urging a return to the church’s core mission of evangelism and serving marginalized neighbors. He stressed that churches should focus on spiritual work while politics and the economy handle their own roles. HanKyotong, founded in 2017, represents 39 denominations and about 65,000 churches; Kim also serves as head (superintendent) of the Methodist Church of Korea. For 2026 he proposed projects to preserve Protestant modern cultural heritage — including revising the modern cultural heritage law and pursuing UNESCO recognition for missionary sites — to highlight Christianity’s historical roots in Korean society. He opposed a broad anti-discrimination bill under discussion in politics, arguing existing separate laws are sufficient and warning of over-legislation and reverse discrimination, and he urged restoring broader discretion for Protestant private schools under education law. Kim said he wants to reshape public perception of Christianity during his one-year term so people clearly see “what Christianity is.” (HanKyotong: Korea Christian Federation)
