Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints living in Korea joyfully received news of a new temple for Korea as President Russell M. Nelson announced the list of new temples at the conclusion of the Sunday Afternoon Session of General conference on October 2nd, 2022. Located in the southeastern port city of Busan, this will be Korea’s second temple since the Seoul temple was dedicated in 1985.
The coming of a temple to Busan is a wonderful and historic event for members of the church in Korea. Busan was the city where the restored gospel was first introduced to Korea. During the Korean War, many Latter-day Saint soldiers were sent to Busan. They not only served to protect the people physically, but also taught the gospel which can protect people spiritually. The first church meetings and baptisms were conducted in Busan even before the Korean peninsula was dedicated by President Joseph Fielding Smith in 1955. Now more than 70 years later, Busan harbor will embrace a sacred temple just as it embraced the gospel in the 1950s. Faithful latter-day Saints in Busan and surrounding areas will have a temple within a convenient distance and will no longer need to travel to Seoul to participate in sacred temple ordinances.
Busan has a rich, centuries-long history as a gateway port city for the southern districts of Korea. It is bordered to the north and west by South Gyeongsang province. With a population of about 3.4 million, Busan is Korea’s second largest metropolitan area and a major port and transportation hub, not only for North Asia, but in the entire world. The city will now add a Temple to the Lord as a prized feature.
Joining Busan in getting a new temple will be 17 other cities, including 2 in the Philippines.
Specific information regarding the location and design of the Busan Temple will be released at a later date.
General purposes of temple
Temples of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are unique houses of worship. Worthy members of the Church enter temples to participate in sacred ordinances
The general purposes of the temple are described by the church as follows:
For members of the Church, a temple is the most sacred place of worship on the earth. It is unique from all other places of worship. It is designated as the only place where families can be united forever and where the most sacred gospel ordinances are performed. It is also a place where you can feel closer to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, a place of peace and revelation, a place where family relationships are strengthened, and a place to seek direction concerning life’s challenges.
There are currently 168 operating temples and another 68 announced with 41 under construction and five undergoing renovation.
In 1977 President Spencer W. Kimball echoed the latter-day prophecy which had been stated by other church presidents that the time would come when “temples would dot the land.” Soon thereafter, in 1985 Korean Saints celebrated the construction of the Seoul temple. Before the Seoul Korea Temple was dedicated, it had been necessary for Koreans to travel to Hawaii or later Japan in order to attend the temple. Now, 37 years later, the prophetic expansion and hastening of temple building as part of the latter-day Restoration has reached the city of Busan in the Republic of Korea.