The Korea Christian Literature Society Engulfed in Privatization Controversy, Allegations of 'Financial Corruption' Raised

The First Protestant United Organization, The Korean Christian Literature Society
Suspected Privatization Attempt by Reducing Denominational Directors and Increasing Member Directors
"Investigation Needed for Breach of Trust and Embezzlement"

Daehan Christian Publishing House (Seohwe), the longest-running Christian publisher in Korea and one of the three major Protestant ecumenical organizations, has been embroiled in privatization controversies. Allegations of financial corruption involving the current president, Seo Jin-han, have also been raised.

The Ecumenical Countermeasures Committee for the Restoration of Publicness of Daehan Christian Publishing House held a press conference on the 24th at the headquarters meeting room of the Korean Methodist Church in Jongno-gu, Seoul, raising concerns about attempts to privatize Seohwe and financial corruption allegations, urging for normalization.

The committee claimed that the privatization of Seohwe began in 2015, the year following Seo Jin-han’s inauguration as president. According to the committee, Seo reduced the number of denominational directors appointed by the denominations from 11 to 7 through amendments to the articles of incorporation, while increasing the number of member directors directly appointed by the board from 8 to 12. The committee argued that this was an attempt to change the governance structure for privatization of Seohwe.

Furthermore, they pointed out that the retirement age for the president was extended from 65 to 70, enabling Seo to serve three consecutive terms. At the time of Seo’s inauguration in 2014, he was 59 years old, making reappointment impossible under the previous retirement age of 65. In March, an attempt was made to amend the articles of incorporation to create a permanent director position with a four-year term and no term limits, allowing Seo to participate in the board instead of serving as president, but this was blocked by opposition from member denominations. According to the committee, Seo’s current salary is 123 million KRW, and he receives support from Seohwe including a 70-pyeong residence, a top-grade company car, and 100 million KRW in business promotion expenses.

From the left in the photo: Pastor Park Kyung-yang of the Ecumenical Countermeasures Committee for the Restoration of Publicness of the Korean Christian Literature Society, Pastor Jung Jin-woo, Pastor In Young-nam, Pastor Song Byung-gu.
[Photo by Seo Mideum]

The committee also raised suspicions of breach of trust and embezzlement. According to materials disclosed by the committee, Seohwe has recorded deficits every year except one during Seo’s eight-year tenure, with a cumulative deficit of 1.2 billion KRW as of last year. Despite this, 133 million KRW was provided to the ‘Korean Hymnal Association’ without recovery, and the former president was appointed honorary president, receiving about 600 million KRW over six years for salary, office expenses, and a dedicated vehicle. The committee also pointed out that 36 million KRW worth of gift certificates were used without evidence of usage or purpose.

The committee stated, “Before holding this press conference, bearing the burden of damaging the reputation of the Korean church, we contacted Seohwe several times, but Seohwe has yet to provide a clear official position.” They added, “We have decided to file criminal charges against the management, request a full audit by the supervisory authority, and submit a petition to the supervisory authority demanding the cancellation of board approval for responsible member directors.”

They also mentioned the responsibility of member denominations and urged them to take efforts toward normalization even now. The committee said, “Today’s situation arose because the directors dispatched by member denominations failed to fulfill their role as good stewards, and the member denominations cannot escape responsibility. We ask them to take the lead in correcting Seohwe in the spirit of ‘settling what one has started’,” demanding Seo’s immediate resignation, a full audit, accountability for those responsible for privatization, and measures to ensure transparency. The member denominations currently listed on Seohwe’s website are the Presbyterian Church of Korea, the Korean Methodist Church, the Korea Evangelical Holiness Church, the Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea, the Salvation Army Korea Territory, the Anglican Church of Korea, and the Korea Gospel Church.

Daehan Christian Publishing House was founded in 1890 by missionaries such as Underwood and Appenzeller as a missionary organization. Its founding purpose was to publish and distribute Christian books, evangelistic materials, and periodicals in the Korean language. It published theological books and Korea’s first hymnal, Chanmiga, as well as numerous general cultural books.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.