Sunday: Yoido Full Gospel Church

Sunday, Nov. 4

We crossed over the Hangan River, the giant body of water that divides Seoul, to head to the Yoido Full Gospel Church, which claims to be the biggest Protestant church in the world with 750,000 members.

Inching along in heavy traffic, we asked our guide how the river was crossed 50 years ago. Very simply, he said: Wooden boats in the summer. In the winter, the thick ice made it easily passable. But the Mississippi-like river rarely freezes these days, mainly because of climate change.

As we drove down a six-lane, Los Angeles-like freeway that nestles the Hangan, there were white brick apartment buildings jetting into the sky as far as the eye could see. They're built and torn down about every 25 years, our guide said, and often the owners double their investment because the property is so valuable.

As we approached the Full Gospel Center, we were greeted by a multistory white cross that is it's landmark. There are dozens of evangelistic churches in Seoul, and the light from their electric crosses is a dominate part of Seoul's evening skyline.

We walked up a steep flight of stairs to the church's entrance, and then several more levels before we entered the 12,000 seat sanctuary.

A charismatic, music-filled youth service was underway, one of seven Sunday programs that are broadcast in eight languages: English, Japanese, Chinese, Spanish, French, Indonesian, Malay and Arabic.

One in 20 people in Seoul are reportedly members of this church, which was founded in the late 1950s by a convert to Pentacostalism, the Rev. Yonggi Cho. In addition to the sanctuary, the church owns several buildings here and has over 600 missionaries working worldwide.

Across town, the Kwanglim Methodist Church is trying to attract souls as well. We attended a youth service in a mega auditorium there that combined elements of a Dr. Phil-like talk show with impressive individual musical performances.

Still, Buddhism remains a large presence here. But the rise in evangelical Christianity has not escaped them. They are placing more prayer centers closer to the city, and are offering more overnight stays in their temples for those who might be curious about the faith.

After the end of the Korean War, it was estimated that 2 percent of Korea was Christian. Now, the estimate is close to 40 percent. The faith practiced here is one of America's largest exports.

Editor's Note: For the next two weeks, Star editor Randy Smith will be traveling with a dozen U.S. journalists in both North and South Korea. The trip, set up through the Gatekeeper Editor's program with the International Reporting Project, provides journalists with a glimpse of countries often in the news but not well covered. Look for regular updates at KansasCity.com. Send questions or comments to him at rsmith@kcstar.com.