| Chilgol Church | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Entrance of Chilgol Church | |
  Chilgol Church | |
| 39°01′55″N125°40′31″E / 39.031907°N 125.675257°E /39.031907; 125.675257 | |
| Location | Kwangbok Street, Chilgol, Kwangbok, Pyongyang |
| Country | North Korea |
| Denomination | Protestant |
| History | |
| Founded | 1899 (1899) |
| Dedication | Kang Pan-sok |
| Architecture | |
| Years built | 1989 (rebuilt) |
| Administration | |
| Division | Korean Christian Federation |
| Chilgol Church | |
| Chosŏn'gŭl | 칠골교회 |
|---|---|
| Hancha | 칠골敎會 |
| Revised Romanization | Chilgol gyohoe |
| McCune–Reischauer | Ch'ilgol kyohoe |
Chilgol Church (Korean: 칠골교회;MR: Ch'ilgol kyohoe) is a Protestant church on Kwangbok Street, Kwangbok,Chilgol, Pyongyang, North Korea. It is one of twoProtestant churches in the country.[1][2] It is dedicated toKang Pan-sok, adeaconess in thePresbyterian church who was the mother of North Korea's founding leaderKim Il Sung.[3]
The church was founded in 1899.[1] It was attended byKang Pan-sok, the mother ofKim Il Sung who sometimes accompanied her there.[4]
According to North Korea, the church was destroyed in June 1950 in the beginning of theKorean War by an American bombing[1] and Kim Il Sung ordered that the church be rebuilt on the spot where the original one associated with his mother had stood.[5] The church was rebuilt in its original style in 1989,[6] and placed under the authority of theKorean Christian Federation.[7]
There is a museum devoted to Kang near the church.[8]
The church welcomes believers on official visits, foreign travellers to Pyongyang, diplomats, and members of international organizations. Morale, patriotism and national unity are celebrated there and prayers are made for thereunification of the country.[1]
The congregation is exactly 201 persons.[9]North Korean defectors from outside Pyongyang have reported that they were not aware of the existence of the church.[3] The church is underlay leadership.[10] Protestant pastors are present in the church, but it is not known if they are resident or visiting pastors.[3]
The church is characterized asProtestant, but adenomination is not specified.[11]
South Korean missionaries consider the church to be an instrument of state propaganda.[12] South Korean pastor Han Sang-ryeol visited the church on 28 June 2010.[13] His travel to North Korea was not authorized by the government of his home country and he was sentenced to five years in prison upon his return to South Korea.[14]
Corfield, Justin (2014)."Chilgol Revolutionary Site".Historical Dictionary of Pyongyang. London: Anthem Press. pp. 27–29.ISBN 978-1-78308-341-1.
Media related toChilgol Church at Wikimedia Commons
