Presbyterian Church of Korea
| The Presbyterian Church of Korea | |
|---|---|
| Classification | Protestant |
| Orientation | Calvinist |
| Polity | Presbyterian |
| Region | Korea |
| Origin | Early 1880s Hwanghae Province (Sorae Church) or Seoul (Saemoonan Church) |
| Separations | Gosin (1952), Gijang (1953), Tonghap and Hapdong (1959) |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 대한예수교장로회 |
| Hanja | 大韓예수敎長老會 |
| RR | Daehan yesugyo jangnohoe |
| MR | Taehan yesugyo changnohoe |
The Presbyterian Church of Korea (PCK; Korean: 대한예수교장로회; Hanja: 大韓예수敎長老會), also known as Yejang (예장), is a Protestant denomination based in South Korea that adheres to Calvinist theology and the Westminster Confession of Faith.
The origins of Korean Presbyterianism dates back to the 1880s. Seo Sang-ryun, one of the first Koreans who was converted by Scottish Presbyterian missionaries, returned to Korea from Manchuria and established the Sorae Church in 1884.
The expansion of the Presbyterian mission caused an increase in demand for Korean pastors. In 1907, Presbyterians from the United States, Australia, and Canada established the first theological seminary in Korea, in Pyongyang. The same year, the PCK organized its first presbytery.
Since the 1950s, the PCK has split into many different denominations due to theological and political disputes. As of 2019, there were 286 branches in South Korea with approximately 4 million church attendees, many of which, though separated from the PCK, still use the title "Presbyterian Church of Korea."