Seoul South Korea Mormon Temple

The Mormon Temple is a house of God; we are God’s family and we are His children. The temple is a constant reminder that God intends the family to be eternal. The temple is a place of learning. Here the principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ are reviewed and truths of the kingdom of God are taught. If those who enter the temple are in the right spirit and are attentive, the mind and spirit are enriched in gospel knowledge and wisdom.
The Mormon Temple is a place of peace wherein the cares and worries of the outside can be put aside for a time. Promises are made by temple patrons to obey the laws of God, and promises are made by the Lord to those who attend, conditioned upon faithfulness.
The gifts and blessings of the Mormon temple are offered to all who conform to the requirements of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. All who accept and live the gospel and keep themselves worthy may partake of them.
Temple work must be done first by each person for himself; then it may be done for those who have passed on. All who have lived will have the opportunity to either accept or reject the work that has been done in a Mormon temple.1
The first member of the Mormon Church in Korea was baptized in 1951. At that time Korea was in the midst of a civil war with the Communist armies from North Korea. Mormon servicemen from America taught the gospel through their example. As one convert noted, “Many of these men had come fresh from the [battle] line…yet even that did not deter [them] from meeting to honor the Sabbath and to share their testimonies.”2
The first Mormon missionaries arrived in South Korea in 1954. Several years later President Boyd K. Packer, a Mormon Apostle, was assigned to travel to South Korea and find a place to build a Mormon Temple. After considering several locations, President Packer eventually chose the property which the Church had purchased almost two decades earlier. In 1981 the temple was announced.

President Gordon B. Hinckley, Mormon prophet, dedicated the Mormon temple December 14, 1985. The temple walls feature Korean granite with six white pillars drawing the viewer’s eyes toward heaven. A traditional, tiled “hundred-year roof” gives the temple a uniquely Korean appearance. Inside, the temple is decorated with delicate brush paintings, intricate wooden molding, silk wall coverings, gold leaf, dome chandeliers, and white lacquer furniture inlaid with mother of pearl.3
After the temple was dedicated, a subway system was built in conjunction with the Summer Olympics at Seoul in 1988. The system included a line that ended right at the base of the hill upon which the temple was built, making the temple even more accessible for Mormon Church members.
The importance of families and one’s ancestors have been a long tradition in Korea. Some families have kept records for hundreds, even thousands, of years. With the dedication of the Seoul Temple, the submission of names for temple work to be done was phenomenal. One such family had submitted names from fifty generations.
Even before the Mormon Temple was announced, President Harold B. Lee in 1954 declared the following: “I feel the Spirit of the Almighty brooding amongst the Korean people and the unfolding of a great work is yet to come.” That work is now being fulfilled.3

Physical Address:
500-23 CHANGCHEON-DONG
SEODAEMUN-GU
SEOUL 120-836
SOUTH KOREA

Mailing address:
c/o Seoul Korea Administration Office
POUCH
South Korea
Phone:   (82) 2-334-9100