Young Hoon Lee

Young Hoon Lee
Born
Young Hoon Lee

(1954-11-19) 19 November 1954 (age 69)
Seoul, South Korea
NationalitySouth Korean
OccupationEvangelist
Korean name
Hangul
이영훈
Hanja
李永勳
Revised RomanizationI Yeonghun
McCune–ReischauerYi Yŏnghun
Websitepastorlee.fgtv.com

Young Hoon Lee (born 19 November 1954) is a South Korean Pentecostal pastor. He has been the senior pastor of the church Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul since 2008.

Biography

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Lee was born on November 19, 1954, in Seoul, South Korea. He grew up in a Christian family, and in April 1964, he joined Yoido Full Gospel Church.[1]

Lee studied theology at Yonsei University in Seoul. After graduating, he attended the Full Gospel Theology Seminary (now Hansei University) in Gunpo, and later attended the United Graduate School of Theology at Yonsei University, ultimately earning a master's degree in theology.[2][1][3] Lee became ordained as a pastor in 1982.[4] Afterwards, he earned another master's degree in theology at Westminster Theological Seminary in the United States, and later earned an MA and a PhD in religion and philosophy at Temple University.[5]

Lee and his wife, Inja Baek, have a daughter together.[3]

On July 11, 2024, during the 13th annual Population Day event hosted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Moran Medal of the Order of Civil Merit was awarded in recognition of contributions to addressing population issues such as low birth rates and aging.[6]

Education[7]

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Ministry

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He began his ministry as pastor of Yoido Full Gospel Church in 1977.[8]

In 2008, he succeeded David Yonggi Cho as senior pastor of Yoido Full Gospel Church.[9][10][11]

He also became Superintendent of Assemblies of God of South Korea Yoido General Council in 2009.[12]

In 2016, he became president of the Christian Council of Korea.[13]

In 2022, he was unanimously elected as the President of the International Church Growth Institute (CGI), succeeding the late Reverend Yong-gi Cho.[14]

Controversies

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Support for pastor Jeon Kwang-hoon

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Young Hoon Lee, who has served as the senior pastor of Yoido Full Gospel Church since 2008, sparked controversy on May 16, 2023, when he attended the opening ceremony of the Liberty Korea Party's headquarters in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. During the event, he urged attendees to support Jeon Kwang-hoon in his call to "eradicate communist reds," a phrase now regarded as outdated propaganda. The controversy is heightened by the fact that Jeon, whom Pastor Lee supported, has previously made statements like "God, Freeze!" which are seen as blasphemous by the Christian community. Additionally, Jeon has already been labeled a "heretic" by mainstream Protestant groups in South Korea. The incident has drawn criticism, as it appears that the leader of Korea's largest church is publicly endorsing a figure deemed heretical by many within the faith.[15]

COVID-19 prevention card controversy

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Young Hoon Lee sparked controversy recently during a sermon by introducing a COVID-19 prevention card. He claimed that the card is effective in preventing and treating COVID-19, attributing its development to a Ph.D. from Yonsei University. He also mentioned that no one who used the card has tested positive and announced plans to provide the card to all families in the church. However, these statements have generated significant controversy.[16]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Kirsteen Kim, Andrew Anderson, Edinburgh 2010: Mission Today and Tomorrow, OCMS, UK, 2011, page 396
  2. ^ Michael Freund, SOUTH KOREAN PASTOR: ‘ISRAEL WAS CHOSEN FOR THE GLORY OF GOD’, jpost.com, Israel, September 7, 2018
  3. ^ a b "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2019-06-02. Retrieved 2017-09-03.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. ^ "Lee Young-Hoon: The Key to Growth". 2 September 2012.
  5. ^ Yongsam Kim, Lee Geun-mi, '세계 최대 교회' 여의도순복음교회 李永勳 담임목사 '사회에 기여하는 교회, 나누고 섬기는 교회, monthly.chosun.com, South Korea, January 2010
  6. ^ Ahn, Joon Yong (12 July 2024). "이영훈 목사, 저출생 해결 공로로 훈장 받아" [Pastor Lee Young-hoon Awarded Medal for Contributions to Solving Low Birthrate Crisis]. Chosun Ilbo. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
  7. ^ "이영훈" [Young Hoon Lee]. Kyobo Bookstore. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
  8. ^ Kirsteen Kim, Andrew Anderson, Edinburgh 2010: Mission Today and Tomorrow, OCMS, UK, 2011, p. 396
  9. ^ Allan Anderson, An Introduction to Pentecostalism: Global Charismatic Christianity, Cambridge University Press, UK, 2013, page 152
  10. ^ Brian Stiller, Evangelicals Around the World: A Global Handbook for the 21st Century, Éditions Thomas Nelson, USA, 2015, p. 333
  11. ^ Oh Young-jin, (INTERVIEW) Full Gospel Church to build big hospital in North Korea, koreatimes.co.kr, South Korea, July 6, 2018
  12. ^ ADRIENNE S. GAINES, Magazine charismanews.com, Pruning the World’s Largest Church, USA, November 15, 2010
  13. ^ Ruth Wang, Lee Young-hoon, Senior Pastor of YFGC, Elected As President of the Christian Council of Korea, chinachristiandaily.com, China, April 22, 2016
  14. ^ Kim, Hyun Sung (7 October 2022). "이영훈 목사, 국제교회성장연구원 총재에 추대" [Pastor Young-hoon Lee Elected as President of International Church Growth Institute]. NEWS POWER. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
  15. ^ Lee, Dae Hee (19 May 2023). "여의도순복음교회 목사, 전광훈 지지 호소 "공산당 마귀 때려잡자"" [Yoido Full Gospel Church Pastor Urges Support for Jeon Kwang-hoon: 'Let's Defeat the Communist Demons]. Pressian. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
  16. ^ Jeon, Sung Min (6 February 2021). "여의도 순복음교회 '코로나 예방카드' 논란...교회 측 "죄송하다"" [Yoido Full Gospel Church’s ‘COVID-19 Prevention Card’ Controversy: Church Apologizes]. Aju Economy. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
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