THE EMS PARTNER CHURCHES IN KOREA
Presbyterian Church of Korea (PCK Tonghap)
This church has been in existence since 1884 and was founded through North American missionary activities. The first meeting of the Synod took place in 1912 and in 1996 the first woman was ordained as pastor. The PCK has over 2 million members and nearly 6,000 parishes. It is highly committed to missionary activities and is currently working in 76 countries all over the world. Some of the pastors abroad also take care of Korean parishes, e.g. in Germany. The PCK is member of the National Council of Churches in Korea (NCCK). The Yong Dong Po Church District maintains a partnership with the Evangelical Church of the Palatinate, Enkenbach (Palatinate) and Ansan have started a parish partnership.
Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea (PROK)
The PROK was founded in 1953 by splitting off from the PCK. The PROK opposed social injustices and inhuman working conditions. During the military dictatorship, it fought for human rights and human dignity. With all the experiences they made during the resistance, PROK theologians in particular developed the Minjung Theology, a Korean variant of the "liberation theology". The PROK has approximately 350,000 members, it has ecumenical views and it is a member of the National Council of Churches in Korea (NCCK). Two church districts of the PROK have close ties with superintendent districts of the Evangelical Church of Hesse and Nassau (EKHN). Our staff member in Korea, Pastor Jörg Baruth, is employed by the PROK. He works in the Songnam Migrant Workers House and takes care of illegal foreign employees.
