SEOUL, South Korea — With friends like Korean Church pioneers Ho Jik Kim and Ho Nam Rhee, Byung Kyu Pak was destined to become a pioneer as well.

Photo by Greg Hill

Byung Kyu Pak served in the Seoul Korea Temple as its first Korean president.

Photo by Greg Hill

Byung Kyu Pak has been faithful in service to the Church since he joined as a young man, through influence of friends and other members.

The slender, dignified but unassuming Brother Pak gave credit during a Church News interview to those two and many others for fellowshipping him on a path that has led to Church leadership and missionary service in his homeland.

"The members were kind and the things they were teaching were easy for me to live by," Brother Pak said of his early experience in the Church as a young man.

Among the 50-60 mostly-student members of his first branch was Dr. Kim, who joined the Church in the United States in the early 1950s and then returned home where he became the only Korean attending Church with LDS servicemen during the Korean War. Brother Pak spoke of Dr. Kim as a kind man who bore a strong testimony. "He was an example to all of us," he said.

But it was Brother Rhee, who was a fellow college student, who introduced Brother Pak to the Church. From then on, Brother Pak virtually walked in Brother Rhee's footsteps. He succeeded his friend, in turn, as president of the Korea Pusan Mission, Church Educational System area director and regional representative.

It was around 1957 when Brother Rhee started accompanying his friend to Church. After six months of missionary discussions, Brother Pak was baptized in March 1958.

His first calling was in the MIA presidency, which was appropriate since his first exposure to the Church was through Thursday night Mutual activities. Faithfulness in Church responsibilities was shared among all the young students and others in the branch, he said.

All the while, he grew in the Church following the example of his friend. Brother Rhee was first president of the Seoul Korea Stake in 1973, and Brother Pak was called as the first president of the Kwang Ju Korea Stake in 1980. In 1981, Brother Pak took the reins of the Korea Pusan Mission from Brother Rhee, and there came to feel strongly that every human being is important in the eyes of Heavenly Father, he said.

To his surprise, Brother Pak took a step apart when he was called to serve as the third president of the Seoul Korea Temple in 1990. The first two presidents had been from the United States.

Since then, his service has included three terms as president of the Korean missionary training center in Seoul and his current calling as patriarch to the Suwon Korea Stake.

As the Church grew in Korea, he grew as well. Standing beside him was Young Ji Rhee, whom he married in 1963. She was baptized three years later. Their desire to be sealed in the temple was hampered by a government policy making it difficult for Korean women to leave the country. (The Seoul Korea Temple wasn't dedicated until 1985.)

Their desire was fulfilled when they were able to obtain permission to go to Tokyo and be sealed in the temple there after he was called to be a mission president. He said the spirit of the temple has continually grown within him. He was able to perform the temple marriages for all three of his sons who have now given him and his wife six grandsons and four granddaughters.

As he looks back to the humble state of the Church when he joined, Brother Pak is amazed at what has happened. The first stake and first temple in mainland Asia came in Korea, he noted.

"I could not imagine at the time that I joined the Church that it would reach this point," he said. "I am very thankful to Heavenly Father for such a great blessing on this land. Now we have everything that can be enjoyed in the gospel.

"We are very proud of our faith in Korea."

E-mail to: ghill@desnews.com