QUAKER Seoul Monthly Meeting History

Seoul Monthly Meeting History

Seoul Monthly Meeting got started in the late 1950’s by a group of Koreans who took an interest in Quakerism from reading as well as from contacts with the medical-social work undertaken by American Friends Service Committee and Friends Service Council following the Korean War. With the assistance and council of American Quaker families living in Seoul , the group met regularly for unprogrammed worship, and for study and discussion. Since then, the Ohio Yearly Meeting (Barnesville), Lake Erie , Pacific, Philadelphia and Japan Yearly Meetings have developed close ties with the Seoul group of Friends, which eventually recognized as a monthly meeting in 1964 under the care of the Friends World Committee for Consultation International Membership Committee.  

In 1965, Seoul Friends moved into their own meeting house after having had to change places of worship ten times in six years. International Quaker contacts such as work camps, travel and study abroad, participation in Quaker conferences, an inter-visitation program with Japanese Quakers, and numerous visiting Friends have contributed greatly to strengthening the Meeting as a part of world Quakerism.  

During the 1970’s and 1980’s, under the leadership of the late Ham Sok Hun who was a widely recognized spiritual leader in Korea, the Seoul Monthly Meeting flourished with members and attenders at its height numbering close to fifty. During this period, Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd Bailey stayed in Korea (from 1981 to 1984) as Quaker missionaries and helped the Seoul members to better understand Quakerism as well as sending members to Pendle Hill for further Quaker education. The Baileys also contributed in connecting Seoul Meeting with Quakers in other parts of the world. In 1988, a second floor was added to the meetinghouse to meet the demand of the growing membership. However, with the demise of Ham Sok Hun in 1989, the meeting went though a period of turmoil leading to a decreased membership year by year down to less than ten.  

Starting in 1998, the meeting revived its vitality. It has added new members and regular attenders. (As of January 2004, an average of twenty people attend the meetings for worship.) In 2003, the Meeting participated in an anti Iraq War demonstration and actively raised funds to help anti Iraq War activists’ organizations. The meeting now supports Foreign Migrant Workers Center , Ssi-Al Women’s Center, and the Anti-Mine Association.  

Though small in numbers currently, Seoul Monthly Meeting has an ambition to steadily grow its membership and to establish a Seoul Quaker Peace Center .

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