Seoul Korea Temple

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Seoul Korea Temple is the 37th operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. For photo, see this external link [1]

The first member of the Mormon Church in Korea was baptized in 1951. At that time Korea was in the midst of a civil war with the Communist armies from North Korea. Mormon servicemen from America were the first to bring Mormonism to the area.

The first Mormon missionaries arrived in South Korea in 1954. Some years later President Boyd K. Packer, an apostle, was assigned to travel to South Korea and find a place in which to build a Mormon Temple. After considering several locations, President 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, South Korea.

President Gordon B. Hinckley, now prophet of the Church, 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. [2]

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 Mormon Church members.

The Seoul Korea Temple has a total of 28,057 square feet, four ordinance rooms, and three sealing rooms.

1 Getting to the temple
2 Latter-day Saint temples in Asia
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] Getting to the temple

Get off at the Sinchon Subway station (line #2), go to the surface by the Hyundai dept. store exit. Make your way towards KFC, and keep walking down that same street. After about 3 blocks (rather long blocks) there will be a street sign with a picture of Moroni and the name of the church indicating that the temple is up the (steep, but short) hill on the right.