Far East Broadcasting Company Marks 70th Anniversary... Pastor Kim Janghwan: "Gospel-Led Reunification and Expanded Media Missions"

Anniversary events held over three days in Busan and Seoul...More than 12,000 attend homecoming day
National choir festival, anniversary luncheon, and concert highlight 70-year broadcasting history
Chairman Kim Janghwan: "Expanding missions for gospel reunification and future generations"
Operating 13 FM stations and 2 AM stations...Expanding outreach through digital platforms

In 1956, Far East Broadcasting Company began transmitting its first radio signals from Incheon to northern regions, including North Korea and China. The broadcaster has marked its 70th anniversary. Founded with the aim of spreading the gospel by radio in areas that missionaries could not freely enter, it has grown over 70 years into a missionary media organization with a nationwide broadcasting network and digital platforms. While reflecting on its history, Far East Broadcasting Company identified missions to the North and media missions for future generations as key priorities going forward.

Pastor and Chairman Kim Jang-hwan announces the start of the homecoming day commemorating the 70th anniversary of Far East Broadcasting Company at Hanyang University on the 17th. Far East Broadcasting Company

Far East Broadcasting Company, chaired by Pastor Kim Janghwan, held events marking its 70th anniversary in Busan and Seoul from October 15 to 17 and announced its vision for media missions over the next 100 years, the company said on October 18. Under the theme "70 Years of the Gospel, 70 Years of Grace," the events comprised a national choir festival, an anniversary luncheon, a homecoming day for listeners and supporters, and a commemorative concert.

The events opened with the 35th Far East Broadcasting Company National Choir Festival, held at Busan Concert Hall on October 15. This was the first time the national choir festival, which began in 1976, had been held in Busan. More than 1,200 people took part, including seven church choirs from across the country and an orchestra. Choirs from Korean churches, including Seoul Youngnak Church, and the Vancouver Zion Mission Choir from Canada also performed. At the finale, a 340-member joint choir sang "Hallelujah" from Handel's oratorio "Messiah."

An anniversary luncheon was held on October 16 in the Crystal Ballroom at The Grand Lotte Seoul in Jung-gu, Seoul. More than 600 people attended, including former President Lee Myung-bak, Seoul Mayor Oh Sehoon, Unification Minister Jung Dongyoung, and figures from the political, government, religious, business, and academic communities.

Former President Lee Myung-bak delivers congratulatory remarks at a luncheon celebrating the 70th anniversary of Far East Broadcasting Company, held on the 16th at Lotte Hotel in Sogong-dong, Seoul. Far East Broadcasting Company

In his congratulatory remarks, former President Lee expressed his gratitude for the dedication of Chairman Kim Janghwan and his wife, Trudy, and said he hoped Far East Broadcasting Company would play an even greater role in a reunified Korea. Mayor Oh described Chairman Kim as a mentor in his life and said he hoped he would continue his active missionary work.

Congratulations also came from overseas figures. Former U.S. President George W. Bush and former Vice President Mike Pence congratulated Far East Broadcasting Company on its 70th anniversary in video messages. On the same day, Chairman Kim received the "Lifetime Achievement Award for Gospel Proclamation" from Bob Jones III, Chancellor Emeritus of Bob Jones University in the United States.

The highlight of the anniversary celebrations was the homecoming day held on October 17 at Hanyang University in Seongdong-gu, Seoul. According to Far East Broadcasting Company, more than 12,000 church members, listeners, and supporters from across the country attended, gathering around the university's main athletic field and outdoor theater.

The event venue featured an exhibition on Far East Broadcasting Company's 70-year history, a Northern Missions pavilion, a broadcasting experience area, and children's play facilities. An athletic meet involving employees from the company's 13 regional branches and a taekwondo demonstration were also held. It was an opportunity for listeners and broadcasting staff, connected through radio over the years, to gather and interact.

The 35th Far East Broadcasting National Choir Festival, held at Busan Concert Hall on the 15th. Far East Broadcasting Company.

A commemorative concert was held in the afternoon at Hanyang University's outdoor theater. Participants included Kim Sehwan, Yoon Hyungjoo, and Jo Youngnam of C'est Si Bon, musical theater actress Cha Jiyeon, actor Gong Hyeongjin, and the Far East Broadcasting Company Children's Choir. The concert also featured the release of "Saeireul Haenghasine," a song dedicated to the company's 70th anniversary, with lyrics co-written by Chairman Kim Janghwan and Kwon Mose, chairman of The Heaven Resort, and music composed by the songwriting team Algo Boni Honsusangtae.

The history of Far East Broadcasting Company began in Incheon on December 23, 1956. In the aftermath of the Korean War, it launched radio broadcasts to spread the gospel in places such as North Korea, China, and the former Soviet Union, where it was difficult to send overseas missionaries. In its early years, it devoted so much airtime to foreign-language broadcasts, including Chinese and Russian, that they took up more time than Korean-language programming, reflecting its focus on missions to the North.

In 1973, Asia Broadcasting Company launched in Jeju. Far East Broadcasting Company and Asia Broadcasting Company began joint operations in 1977 and merged their corporations in 2001. Since then, the company has continued to expand its regional broadcasting network and currently operates 13 FM stations, two AM stations, and 14 FM relay stations nationwide. It broadcasts in Korean, Chinese, Japanese, and Russian, among other languages, and focuses its missionary work on Northeast Asia, including North Korea, China, and Russia.

It is also expanding its missionary approach in response to changes in the broadcasting environment. It combines traditional radio broadcasting with digital platforms such as YouTube and smartphone applications, enabling listeners to access content regardless of time or location. It has also continued activities beyond broadcasting, including children's choirs, cultural performances, and local evangelism events.

A large crowd gathered at Hanyang University on the 17th for a homecoming day celebrating the 70th anniversary of Far East Broadcasting Company.

The priorities Far East Broadcasting Company reiterated on its 70th anniversary were missions to the North and media missions for future generations. At a press conference held in September, Chairman Kim Janghwan said he hoped to establish a broadcasting station centered in Pyongyang and spread the gospel if North Korea opened up. He also said the company operates the one-year Far East Academy program to train missionaries, including among North Korean defectors, and that three cohorts had completed the program by then.

The anniversary celebrations reaffirmed this missionary direction. Chairman Kim said, "This event has become a meaningful milestone, allowing us to reflect on the grace of the past 70 years while proclaiming a new vision for media missions over the next 100 years."

He added, "We will continue to fulfill our mission of bringing about the reunification of the Korean Peninsula through the gospel and awakening future generations, while continuing to expand the reach of media."

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