Korea’s Jeju Island Will Gain Mission Status

During the 2023 Mid-Year Sessions of the Executive Committee of the Northern Asia-Pacific Division (NSD) that recently took place in Yokohama, Japan, Seventh-day Adventist leaders made a significant decision to establish the Jeju Mission Field as a new mission within the Korean Union Conference (KUC).

This decision has now made the Jeju Mission Field, previously known as the Jeju Region or “missionary district,” an independent mission area. Regional church leaders explained that the KUC Executive Committee will be responsible for writing the new church region’s bylaws based on the model bylaws of the General Conference of the Adventist Church. The same body will also be in charge of appointing the new region officers and determining the date for the inaugural session of its delegates.

Regional church leaders also explained that the membership of the new Jeju Mission field will be presented and voted by the delegates to the KUC constituency meeting scheduled for December 2025.

In a phone interview with officers of the Korean-language edition of Adventist Review, Jeju Region president Sung Gu Choi said he was excited when he heard the good news coming from Japan. Choi highlighted the significance of this decision. “I believe it will propel the Jeju Mission to new heights and serve as a valuable opportunity for growth,” he said.

The NSD meeting also included a presentation on the activities of the Jeju New Mission Field Assessment Team.

Hyun Min Kim, NSD associate secretary and Adventist Mission director, provided details on the journey toward establishing the new church field. The Jeju Mission Field held an extraordinary meeting on October 6, 2022, to propose the establishment of this new field. Subsequently, the KUC received a final resolution from the assessment team and presented it to the NSD Executive Committee. This body conducted an extensive review before granting final approval during the committee’s vote.

Church leaders said that it was a historic decision. “It marks the first time in 45 years that a new field has been organized within the Korean Union Conference,” they said.

The NSD is an administrative territory that oversees the work of the Adventist Church in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Japan, Mongolia, Republic of Korea, and Taiwan. It includes the Japan Union Conference, the Korean Union Conference, the Taiwan Conference, and the Mongolia Mission.

According to June 30, 2022, statistics, it includes 858 churches and companies with 285,915 baptized members in a population of more than 229 million. The new Jeju Mission Field includes 1,197 baptized members who worship in 8 churches and companies in Jeju Island (pop. 687,759).

The original version of this story was posted on the Northern Asia-Pacific news site.