About 140 overseas members of the World Mission Society Church of God, led by General Pastor Kim Joo-cheol, visited Gyeongbokgung Palace and Lotte World Tower to experience Korean history and culture.
The 85th overseas members visiting group is made up of local believers from countries including the United States, Britain, New Zealand, Peru, India and Mongolia, the church said. The roughly 140 who arrived first put on hanbok and visited Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul's Jongno District on the 23rd. They took in the beauty of traditional Korean architecture and looked at royal court culture and daily life during the Joseon Dynasty. Joe Adams, 37, from Britain, said the sight of a centuries-old palace standing alongside modern buildings made them think that the sacrifices and efforts of earlier generations had led to Korea's development today.
The group also visited Lotte World Tower in Seoul's Songpa District the same day. They went up to the Seoul Sky observatory in the 123-story, 555-meter skyscraper and took in a sweeping view of the city. Mariana Yamileth Moreno Rivero, 24, from Peru, said it was astonishing that a country once reduced to ruins by war had developed this far, adding that seeing it in person made it hard to imagine what it had once looked like.
On the 25th, the group visited the Elohim Memorial Hall in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province. At the site, where nature blends with traditional hanok buildings, they viewed an exhibition highlighting God's love for human happiness based on the Bible.
The group also plans to take part in a world culture festival marking the second anniversary of the Day of Mother's Love and Peace, to be held at the Okcheon Go & Come Training Institute in North Chungcheong Province in early November. Participants from around the world will present traditional dances, music and other performances in a setting designed for mutual cultural understanding and exchange. Including later arrivals, the 85th visiting group will total about 180 people from 17 countries.
The church launched the overseas members visiting program in 2001, as churches were established around the world and growing numbers of local believers wanted to visit Korea. The church has since offered a range of hands-on programs to help overseas members gain a broader understanding of Korean history and culture. Past groups have toured major sites including the National Museum of Korea, the Blue House, the Korean Folk Village and Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon, and have taken part in traditional cultural activities such as pottery making, taekwondo lessons and making songpyeon rice cakes.