The Pyongyang Theological Seminary (also known the Pyongyang Theological Academy, but commonly known simply as the Pyongyang Seminary) is a Protestant

theological seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and Christian theology, theology, generally to prepare them for ordinatio ...

Pyongyang Pyongyang () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is sometimes labeled as the "Capital of the Revolution" (). Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. Accordi ...

, the capital of

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...

. It is run by the government-controlled

Korean Christian Federation The Korean Christian Federation is a Protestant body in North Korea founded in 1946. The federation is based in the capital city Pyongyang. The current secretary general is O Kyong-u. The federation has come to play an important role in internati ...

(KCF) and trains

pastor A pastor (abbreviated to "Ps","Pr", "Pstr.", "Ptr." or "Psa" (both singular), or "Ps" (plural)) is the leader of a Christianity, Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutherani ...

s and evangelists for it. Founded in 1901 as the Pyongyang Chosun Jesus Presbyterian Seminary, the seminary has historically been associated with

Presbyterianism Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

. It became the center of Korean Christianity of the early 20th century. By 1916 its founder

Samuel Austin Moffett Rev. Samuel Austin Moffett (1864–1939, ) was one of the early American Presbyterian missionaries to Korea. He studied at Hanover College, Indiana, and in 1888 at McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago. In 1889, he was appointed a missiona ...

was in disagreement over practical matters with another teacher,

James Scarth Gale James S. Gale (February 19, 1863 – January 31, 1937) was a Canadian Presbyterian missionary, educator and Bible translator in Korea. In old Sino-Korean, he was known as Ki Il (). Early life Gale was born on February 19, 1863, in Alma, Ontario, ...

. The row developed into a schism on doctrinal matters and in 1959 the seminary split into the conservative Chongshin University and the liberal Presbyterian College and Theological Seminary. In 1938, during the

Japanese occupation of Korea From 1910 to 1945, Korea was ruled by the Empire of Japan under the name Chōsen (), the Japanese reading of "Joseon". Japan first took Korea into its sphere of influence during the late 1800s. Both Korea (Joseon) and Japan had been under polic ...

, the seminary had been temporarily closed down after students defied orders to bow to

Shinto shrines A Stuart D. B. Picken, 1994. p. xxiii is a structure whose main purpose is to house ("enshrine") one or more kami, , the deities of the Shinto religion. The Also called the . is where a shrine's patron is or are enshrined.Iwanami Japanese dic ...

. After the

division of Korea The division of Korea began at the end of World War II on 2 September 1945, with the establishment of a Soviet occupation zone and a US occupation zone. These zones developed into separate governments, named the Democratic People's Republic of ...

, the seminary was relocated to

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

in South Korea and renamed the Presbyterian Theological Seminary. The Pyongyang-based seminary resumed operations in 1972 after having been assumed by the KCF. When its funds ran out in 1995, the

Korean Methodist Church The Korean Methodist Church () is a large Methodist denomination in South Korea and the rest of the world, with approximately 1.5 million members. Methodist missionaries came from the United States in the late 19th century. It became independent ...

(KMC) of South Korea assumed a share of its financial responsibilities.

History

Presbyterian roots

Originally called the Pyongyang Chosun Jesus Presbyterian Seminary, it was founded in 1901 by

, the father of Samuel H. Moffett. Samuel Austin was motivated to found the seminary in

because the city had been badly damaged in the

First Sino-Japanese War The First Sino-Japanese War (25 July 189417 April 1895), or the First China–Japan War, was a conflict between the Qing dynasty of China and the Empire of Japan primarily over influence in Joseon, Korea. In Chinese it is commonly known as th ...

. Initially, the seminary would consist of two years of preparatory courses and the actual seminary lasting three years. In the beginning, Samuel Austin taught his students at home. He was its first president until 1918 and a faculty member until 1935. The Seminary was the center of Korean Christianity of the early 20th century. In 1905 the seminary became affiliated with the

Presbyterian Church in the United States The Presbyterian Church in the United States (PCUS, originally Presbyterian Church in the Confederate States of America) was a Protestant denomination in the Southern and border states of the United States that existed from 1861 to 1983. That y ...

. The first class graduated in 1907. A building was constructed in 1909 and renewed in 1922. By 1916 Moffett was in disagreement with a teacher at the school,

. Their differences concerning the quality of teaching, materials, and admission would develop into a schism between conservatives and liberals. Initially, the seminary remained conservative and mission-oriented. The seminary was temporarily closed in 1938 following the

. The Japanese occupiers demanded that students of the seminary would bow to

, something that they could not agree to. Until 1940, the seminary had been the only seminary in Korea maintained by the Presbyterian Church. After the

, the seminary was relocated to

in South Korea in 1948 and renamed the Presbyterian Theological Seminary. In 1959 the seminary finally split due to the doctrinal differences into the conservative Chongshin University and the more moderate Presbyterian College and Theological Seminary.

Under government control

In 1972, the seminary was reopened and assumed by the government-controlled Protestant body

(KCF). The seminary operated under KCF until 1995 when it ran out of funds. In April 1999, the

(KMC) of South Korea offered to fund the seminary to secure the continuation of its operation. KMC bid $600,000 to provide funding for three years. It reopened in 2000, and a new building was completed in 2003.

Operation

The Seminary is run by the KCF, which chooses its students and devises its curriculum. KMC, however, is consulted each semester. The seminary is located in

, the capital of

. The seminary trains

s and evangelists for the KCF. Before 1995, the seminary had produced some 60 graduates.

Attendees

* * Hahn Sang-dong (1933-1936) * * Yoo Jae-kee (1932) * Kil Sun-joo * Chu Ki-chol *

Kang Ryang-uk Kang Ryang-uk (; December 7, 1903 – January 9, 1983), also spelled Kang Lyanguk, was a North Korean Presbyterian minister and Chairman of the Korean Christian Federation since 1946. Biography Kang was born on December 7, 1903. Kang ...

, president of KCF * Kang Yong-sop, president of KCF * Park Yun-sun (1934) * Song Yang-wong (1938)

Professors

* William Davis Reynolds *

Horace Grant Underwood Horace Grant Underwood (19 July 1859 – 12 October 1916) was an American Northern Presbyterian Church, Presbyterian missionary, education, educator, and translator who dedicated his life to developing Christianity in Korea. Early life Underw ...

* Hyuk Namkung, first Korean

Doctor of Divinity A Doctor of Divinity (DD or DDiv; ) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity (academic discipline), divinity (i.e., Christian theology and Christian ministry, ministry or other theologies. The term is more common in the Englis ...

and first Korean professor at the seminary. * Park Hyng-nong, became the second Korean professor at the seminary (

systematic theology Systematic theology, or systematics, is a discipline of Christian theology that formulates an orderly, rational, and coherent account of the doctrines of the Christian faith. It addresses issues such as what the Bible teaches about certain topics ...

) in 1931

History

Presbyterian roots

Under government control

Operation

Attendees

Professors

See also

References

Works cited

Further reading