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On a chilly winter day in January 1955, a petite woman just barely over five feet tall took off her warm winter coat and stepped into the waters of the Pusan Bay to be baptized by a US Army colonel stationed in Korea. Despite the freezing water, the heart of forty-seven-year-old widow, Kim Do Pil (pronounced Kim To-p’il), was warm and filled with joy as she was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.[1] This chapter highlights the humble faith and perseverance of this early pioneer woman, who despite the political turmoil and significant challenges she encountered in life served as a beacon of faith to help teach and establish the restored gospel and the Relief Society in Korea, or the “Land of the Morning Calm.”

Korea was under Japanese occupation for forty years from 1905 to 1945. The Church unofficially entered Korea with the arrival of US military personnel, including Latter-day Saint servicemen, during World War II in the 1940s. By the 1950s missionary efforts of these servicemen led to the first baptisms during the Korean War.[2] On August 2, 1955, Elder Joseph Fielding Smith of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles dedicated South Korea for the preaching of the gospel, and on August 25, 1957, the Relief Society was organized in Pusan with Kim Do Pil as president.[3] By 1967 the Korean Book of Mormon was published, helping many to join the Church. However, the first stake was not organized until 1973, and the first temple, the Seoul Korea Temple, was not dedicated until 1985.[4] According to the Church Newsroom, there were 88,607 church members in one hundred congregations, twelve stakes (and five districts), and three missions; there was one temple in South Korea in 2023 (with a second temple announced in October 2022).[5]

Despite those decades of trials and challenges during the occupation and wars, the restored gospel became a silver thread among the Korean people. During the April 1968 general conference, then Elder Gordon B. Hinckley of the Quorum of Twelve noted the “silver thread, small but radiant with hope, which shined through the dark tapestry of war” in Korea and other Asian countries.[6] He explained, “This marvelous membership is the sweet fruit of seed once planted in dark years of war in the troubled days immediately following, when good men of the priesthood, both civilian and military, through the example of their lives and the inspiration of their precepts, laid a foundation on which a great work has been established.”[7]

Introduced to Christianity before Exile in China

Kim Do Pil was born on November 20, 1908, in Gongju (also spelled Kongju). Like other Korean parents, her parents were Buddhists who wanted their daughter to be well educated, so she was sent to Seoul to attend middle school and later studied at Ewha University, a prominent Christian academy for women. There she became acquainted with Christianity and recorded, “During this time at Ewha I heard ministers preach, but I could not agree with them. I could agree with the teachings of Jesus, but I had no desire to belong to a Christian church.”[8]

She commented about her marriage and subsequent exile: “At the age of nineteen I married Lee Sok Gil. This man was a twentieth-generation grandson of Sejong, Korea’s most venerated king. . . . Mr. Lee’s father was a Korean patriot who strongly disapproved of the Japanese occupation of his fatherland and, because of his involvement in the freedom movement, was forced to flee to China to save his life. My husband inherited his father’s strong political convictions of freedom and self-respect. In order to survive and support the cause of Korean independence, he also went to China in exile.”[9]

Sister Kim gave birth to their first daughter in 1928 and moved with her husband and father-in-law to China, living in the French quarter at Tientsin. There, their second daughter and first son were born in 1930 and 1932 respectively. However, her husband passed away in 1935, and she “felt very alone” during those difficult years. In 1946, after the end of World War II, she returned to Seoul with the bodies of her husband and father-in-law so that they could be buried in their native homeland. Despite being a widow, she was resilient and persevered during her time in Tientsin. She made clothes for her children and soon started sewing for other families. She began a successful and profitable tailoring business, designing clothes for foreigners in the French quarter. Sister Kim purchased property in Seoul with the money she saved, which was a financial blessing when she returned to Korea with her three children. She wrote, “I worked hard for my children. I was determined that they all receive a good education.” Her eldest daughter became a high school teacher to help support the family after graduating from Ewha University.[10]

During this time, women had little opportunities for an education and widows had limited financial means, so it is amazing to consider the incredible strength Sister Kim had to overcome those difficulties she and her children faced.[11] Sister Kim experienced many trials and challenges, including war, poverty, and death in her family; but she had an attitude of gratitude and service.[12]

Refugee in Pusan Introduced to the Restored Gospel

With the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950, her daughter’s employment as a teacher was cut short, and Sister Kim was forced to abandon their home and life in Seoul. They joined numerous other refugees who fled to the city of Pusan in the southern tip of the Korean peninsula.[13] Latter-day Saint servicemen in Korea played an important role in sharing the gospel since the draft reduced the number of missionaries and the First Presidency directed local leaders to recommend only young men who were not eligible for the draft during the war. These servicemen sought ways to help by gathering donated food and clothing to help these Korean refugees.[14] However, Kim was unaware that there were many Latter-day Saint servicemen in Pusan, which was the center of the early foundations of the Church in Korea.[15] She recounted,

To provide for my children, I set up a small souvenir shop and through this one day met an American ship’s captain who related his own experience while being unemployed. He . . . was once without work and very poor; he was travelling from state to state searching for work. In the state of Utah he found a kind and charitable people among the Mormons. This was the first time I had ever heard the word Mormon.

Sometime later, a young American Air Force lieutenant came by the souvenir shop to ask [for] directions. My son went with him to show the way. Conditions at the shop were very crowded; we must have looked pitiful to him because after a little while he came back bringing hamburgers from the military snack bar. . . . His name was Cartel, I think. I was deeply impressed with his caring as a Mormon. We had already heard something good about Mormons or Latter-day Saints from the ship’s captain. From that day he took my son and my second daughter to meetings of his church at the base chapel. My second daughter was later baptized, but I had not yet been introduced to Mormon teachings.[16]

Sister Kim’s great desire to seek truth was demonstrated by her endurance during her physical hardships and health challenges. In November 1953 the North Korean forces came south toward Pusan, and a bombing raid resulted in multiple fires throughout the city. Sister Kim’s souvenir shop also caught on fire, and they lost everything. Fortunately, according to Kim, her second daughter had, on the day of the fire, graduated from medical school and was hired at the US army hospital in Pusan, which led to her introduction to a special book.[17] She explained,

One day, [my daughter] brought me a copy of a book written in Japanese. As a young girl I had learned Japanese during the occupation. I could easily read this book. I came to know it as the Book of Mormon. For the first time in my memory, I was completely unemployed, but I had time to study.

During the year of 1954 I began reading and studying the Book of Mormon. In order to understand it clearly, I made an outline of everything I read. I prepared a very extensive genealogy beginning with Adam in the Old Testament and followed down through all the prophets of the Book of Mormon to Moroni. The finished scroll was twelve feet long. I also prepared a chronology of all the migrations and a chart tracing the priesthood lines of authority down to Joseph Smith. I wanted to make sure I understood the doctrines of this book.[18]

Sister Kim was recovering from an operation, which gave her additional free time to ponder what she was learning from the Japanese Book of Mormon her daughter had given her. She began to pray for faith and further understanding. She recalled, “One particular day I was studying and asking God for a knowledge of the truth, I felt His divine Spirit, and it convinced me that I should join the Church.” She knew that it was the only way “to gain a full realization of God’s plan for me, my family, and His children everywhere.” She asked the group leader of the servicemen to baptize her because she “knew for sure that this was the true Church.”[19]

During 1954, while Kim was studying the Book of Mormon and learning about the Church, Elder Harold B. Lee of the Quorum of Twelve visited Korea to evaluate the situation in Korea. Elder Lee served as the committee chair for the LDS Servicemen’s Committee during this time and visited with the Saints in Korea with mission president Hilton Robertson. He was very impressed with the efforts and faith of the servicemen and the testimony of the new members of the Church in Korea.[20]

“Doctor of the Book of Mormon”

Sister Kim was baptized just a few months before Elder Joseph Fielding Smith of the Quorum of the Twelve visited South Korea to dedicate it for preaching the gospel on August 2, 1955, at the Jang-Choong Dan hill in Seoul.[21] Shirley H. Palmer, who recorded Sister Kim’s story, wrote the following regarding the special day when Sister Kim was baptized:

It was a cold day, January 23, 1955. The army jeep bounced over the rough ground as it moved slowly toward the shoreline of Pusan Bay. When it stopped at the water’s edge, several passengers climbed out, very conscious of each other as friends. One was a woman [Kim Do Pil] who stood just a bit over five feet in height, petite, undauntably cheerful, and highly energetic. She was forty-seven years old. Despite the bitter cold, she removed her outer coat and stood by the water’s edge in a neatly pressed white dress. Then, guided by U.S. Army Colonel Sterling Merrill, she walked into the cold water and was baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This event marked the beginning of a distinguished career of faithful Church service by a handmaiden of the Lord.[22]

After Sister Kim was baptized, she penned a poem entitled “Opening the Heaven Gate” to acknowledge the Lord and commemorate her new life as a member.[23] She was an active member of the branch in Pusan and attended church meetings with Dr. Kim Ho Jik, who joined the Church in Cornell University in 1951. After their meetinghouse in Pusan was destroyed by fire, they held meetings on the military base. Other members often called Sister Kim Do Pil “Dr. Kim” or the “doctor of the Book of Mormon” (not to be confused with Dr. Kim Ho Jik) because she loved to study this book of scripture. She wrote, “Through my study, I learned that that book is the most powerful missionary ever used in the Church.”[24]

Like many other Koreans, Sister Kim had a thirst for knowledge and loved to study the gospel. After visiting Seoul, Elder Spencer W. Kimball, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, wrote on February 27, 1968, that “the Korean are ravenous in their appetite for knowledge.”[25] Lee Young Bum, who was a Korean missionary elder from 1956 to 1958 explained that Sister Kim was active, “very religious and dedicated,” and that “she would point out things that we or other people were doing that were not quite right. She was a wonderful student of the Book of Mormon.”[26] Brother Oh Kehi, who was baptized in Pusan in 1955, shared the following: “One time when I had been absent from church for a long time, Sister Kim Do Pil came in a jeep with a soldier who had taught the gospel. They brought the sacrament to me and had me partake of it. I was so embarrassed at that time that I didn’t know what to do. Because of this, I continued to attend church regularly again. After that, Sister Kim would call me every week and emphasize that I should study the gospel. I shall never forget her teaching me in her house. Later . . . I became a branch president.[27]

Kim Do Pil (top left) was the first branch Relief Society president in Pusan, Korea, circa 1950s. Kim Do Pil with family (left), at her baptism (right top), during President Hugh B. Brown's visit (right middle), with early leaders in Pusan (right bottom). Source: "The Korean Saints: Personal Stories of Trial and Triumph 1950–1980." Courtesy of Po Nien (Felipe) Chou.

The First Branch Relief Society President in Pusan

On August 25, 1957, while Elder Don Powell was organizing the Relief Society in Seoul at Shin Mun Ro, Elder Larry Orme presided over the meeting at the Pusan Branch meetinghouse, where he organized and set apart Sister Kim as the first Relief Society president of the Southern Branch. A total of fifteen women attended this first Relief Society meeting of the Southern Branch. The following week, on September 1, 1957, the sisters in Relief Society were taught from the Book of Mormon. Sister Kim studied it in Japanese and taught the sisters in Korean. She “presided over the Relief Society with dignity and charity of heart and soul. She gave freely to the members and the newly inaugurated and suffering missionaries.”[28]

Mission leaders Paul and Frances Andrus reported that during their service, “the most serious threat to the health of the missionaries in Korea proved to be hepatitis.”[29] Elder F. Ray Hawkins recounted that in late 1957, his three missionary companions were diagnosed and suffered from hepatitis. But they said they received “manna” from heaven when Sister Kim would knock on their door with “tied-up bundles of wonderful food” to comfort the sick missionaries.[30] Hawkins remembered, “We soon learned to look forward to dinner invitations at her house. Never were meals fancied with greater appreciation. Without fail, she served several kinds of kimch’i of her own creation; the soup and rice and side dishes were absolutely delicious. Each meal was prepared as if it were to be served to a king; that was Sister Kim’s style.”[31]

Hawkins also noted that Sister Kim learned to speak and read English. He added that “the elders were most encouraged and delighted at the energy level with which Sister Kim ignited the young members and investigators of the Pusan Branch.” During that time, meetings were held on a split schedule, and Sister Kim would stay the whole day, then gather the girls and read to them from her Japanese Book of Mormon while teaching them the gospel “in a way the elders could not.” According to Hawkins, Sister Kim “was untiringly faithful and developed an imploring and unwavering testimony which she shared generously.” Sister Kim was released as the Relief Society president before January 1959, when she moved and returned to Seoul.[32] Brother Choi Jaesin, who was baptized in October 1954, called Sister Kim Do Pil the “mother of the Church in Pusan.”[33]

Sister Yi Eulan, who learned about Sister Kim’s story, explained that the cultural norms in Korea during that time dictated that women were to be submissive and not stand out or call attention to themselves. The social environment and structure in the Korean culture was difficult and especially harsh toward women, particularly someone like Sister Kim, who was intelligent, resourceful, hardworking, and educated. Nevertheless, Kim’s devotion to the restored gospel and her faith in Jesus Christ gave her the courage to move forward with confidence in accepting and fulfilling her callings and responsibilities to care for and watch over her dear Relief Society sisters and others. Sister Kim showed tremendous strength and bravery during her consecrated service and was an amazing and wonderful example to others.[34]

Sister Jeong Jihye explained that due in part to Sister Kim’s humility, she was receptive to the gospel of Jesus Christ and indeed was a “handmaid of the Lord.” Jeong added that the circumstances for Sister Kim when she first served in the Relief Society in Korea were very different then, yet Kim “gave her all and did what she could” to reflect the Relief Society motto “Charity Never Faileth.” Her example and faithfulness in keeping the commandments is demonstrated by her love for God and her neighbors, helping the Relief Society to take root in Korea.[35]

Return to Service in Seoul

In Seoul, Sister Kim attended the Central Branch and taught “theology lessons” from her study of the Japanese translation of the Doctrine and Covenants, because a Korean translation was not yet available. She was concerned with those who did not stay active and supported her branch Relief Society president by encouraging new members of the Relief Society to keep their covenants. She reported that in 1959, there were only four branches in the Republic of Korea, including the three in Seoul and one in Pusan. She recalled the many sandwiches prepared each Saturday to provide lunch on Sunday for many of the members who experienced distance and transportation difficulties to attend church during those times. Other Relief Society activities included preparing Easter baskets for the missionary elders and sewing cushions by hand due to the lack of sewing machines. In November 1959 Sister Kim was called again as a Relief Society president, this time for the West Branch, where she also taught the youth in the Mutual Improvement Association. She very much enjoyed mission conference meetings and district Relief Society conferences. She recorded one such experience:

On June 5, 1960, a district Relief Society conference was held in conjunction with the district conference at Seoul Business High School. The Relief Society session was held at 9:30 A.M. with Sister Andrus of the Far East Mission, headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, presiding. The opening song, “Come, Let Us Anew” was sung, conducted by Chang In-ae. Kim Jung Sook gave the opening prayer. Following the opening of the meeting the Relief Society presidents gave reports: West Branch—Kim Do Pil; Central Branch—Ch’oi Sun-hŭi; Pusan Branch—Chang Kyung-ja; East Branch—Lee Chŏng-ok; East Gate Branch—Park Youn Soon. Kim Mi-ja of the Pusan Branch sang a solo. The meeting was closed following the remarks of Kim Yŏn-sun and Sister Andrus. Sixty women attended this session; the sisters began gathering early in the morning. We were most grateful to our Heavenly Father for the opportunity to hold this wonderful meeting and for the great benefits derived from attending this conference.[36]

Then-Elder Hinckley of the Quorum of Twelve, who was assigned to oversee the missions of the Church in Asia, first visited Korea or the “land of the morning calm” in 1960. He was deeply touched by the faith of the brothers and sisters in Korea, and years later he said, “I have loved those people, I have come to know them. Now all up and down South Korea we have branches, we have buildings . . . [and] the temple, in Seoul. . . . What a glorious thing it is to see the work there and to know the people there. I just love the people and love the place.”[37]

Sickness, Followed by Temple Blessings

Despite suffering severe health challenges, including a stomach operation earlier in her life, rheumatism, and other serious illnesses; as well as being a widow for many years, Sister Kim constantly served others and her Relief Society sisters, saying, “I wanted to be released as Relief Society president; however, I thought, ‘Relief Society is the only organization for women. How can we stop holding meetings?’ Therefore, I continued to work under these extremely difficult circumstances. Because of my rheumatism it was sometimes necessary for Brother Park Jae Am, Park Kee Sheng, or Koo Jung Shik and one other individual to take turns carrying me from my home to the church and from the church to my home. It was not very far; . . . however, the brothers’ efforts were greatly appreciated.”[38]

In 1960 her daughter, who was now living in California, invited Sister Kim to come to visit the US. As she prepared to leave, she considered her severe illness and wondered if she would ever return to Korea or see her beloved Relief Society sisters. On February 3, 1961, before she boarded her flight, she “went to the West Branch president, Elder Albert Hoffman, and offered three thousand wŏn toward the foundation of the Relief Society.”[39] Her love for her Relief Society sisters was abundant.

While visiting her daughter in California, Sister Kim traveled to Utah to receive her temple endowment in the Salt Lake Temple. She returned to Korea to continue her service. On March 18, 1962, she reported her experience at the Relief Society meeting at the West Branch in Seoul with thirty-eight sisters attending. The members in Pusan were also eager to learn about her experience, so after repeated requests she traveled there to share her “what [she] felt and what [she] had learned of church life in the United States.” A few months later, on July 1, 1962, she was once again called and set apart as the Relief Society president of the West Branch. However, this call would be only temporary.[40]

New Mission and District Relief Society

While Korea was part of the Northern Far East Mission at this time, preparations were being made to welcome the first mission president of the newly created Korea Mission. On July 7, 1962, members organized a party to bid farewell to President and Sister Andrus of the Northern Far East Mission, as well as welcome the new Korea Mission president Gail E. Carr and his wife, Gwen. President Carr, who previously served as a young missionary in Korea, assigned a young full-time missionary, Elder Han In Sang, to work on and complete the translation of the Korean Book of Mormon, published in 1967.[41]

On March 3, 1963, the year after the new mission was created, a district Relief Society was organized with Gwen Carr as president, Kim Do Pil as first counselor, Kim An Bae as second counselor, and Chang In Duk as secretary. Sister Kim noted that “On March 17 the first district Relief Society conference of the Korea Mission was held at the mission home.” The district Relief Society presidency visited the various branches to strengthen the sisters, including those in Pusan and Taegu. “During these meetings the testimonies were so strong that many of the sisters were moved to tears as they gave their testimonies.” Thereafter, Relief Society workshops and meetings were held regularly to provide fellowship and instruction, along with fundraising efforts to fund the organization. A Relief Society magazine, prepared by the Korea Mission and funded through subscriptions, blessed the sisters by providing materials in Korean for the various branches throughout the mission. On October 9, 1964, after months of preparation, a district Relief Society bazaar welcomed both members of the Church and friends.[42] Sister Kim reported,

The bazaar . . . opened at last with seven branches united. . . . It was the first time such an event occurred and the district Relief Society presidency was very anxious as to the outcome. Many servicemen and outside guests were invited. There were eight booths, one [refreshment area called the] tea room, seven game booths, a movie in the evening, a simple drama, and recreation. All of the sisters who operated within the booths were dressed in beautiful Korean dresses. Green plants lined the hall, and the tea room looked very inviting, like a real tea room. The bazaar [which began at 1:00 p.m.] closed at 9:00 p.m.[43]

Spencer J. Palmer and his wife, Shirley, arrived in July 1965 to preside over the mission when President and Sister Carr were released. Sister Kim was then called to serve as a theology teacher. She devoted her time working on her genealogy and preparing many family records despite suffering from arthritis. Her hobbies also included creating hand-painted greeting cards and writing poetry. Sister Palmer fondly remembered going to the market together with Sister Kim and sharing recipes of her delicious Korean dishes.[44]

Korean hymnbooks from 1970 (left) and 1980s (right). Courtesy of Po Nien (Felipe) Chou and Petra Chou.

Blessed through Music

In 1963, alongside the organization of the district Relief Society presidency by Sister Carr, mission President Carr arranged for many hymns to be translated into Korean. During this same year, the mission completed the translation and published the first Korean hymnbook. This new hymnal contained 130 hymns and was a blessing to the Saints there.[45]

In addition, since May 1968, “the Mormon Tabernacle Choir [renamed the Tabernacle Choir on Temple Square] program has been broadcasted over Korean radio each Saturday afternoon.” This broadcast was accompanied “with the messages of Richard L. Evans, delivered in the Korean language.” The broadcast was produced by Lee Kui Ja of KBS Radio. Sister Kim’s son worked at KBS and arranged for this connection even though he was not a member of the Church. Elder Steven Robinson, who received weekly copies of the choir’s broadcast, worked in this effort with Murray Hoki, the Asia coordinator of Bonneville International. Robinson also arranged for Brother Ji Yong Dal at the mission office in Seoul to translate the spoken word into Korean to accompany the music from the choir. Because of the connection from Sister Kim and her son, this weekly broadcast of the Tabernacle Choir reached countless people in Korea each week.[46]

Concluding Years

The first stake in Korea was organized in 1973, and President Kimball visited Korea in 1980.[47] In the sunset years of Sister Kim’s life, she grew flowers and roses in a home on the north side of Seoul. As her health and energy declined, she then moved to one of the new apartment buildings in the city. Eventually, she moved to her son’s home. When she had enough energy, she would visit a ward in Sinchon in her wheelchair. For those who came to visit her at home, she often served apple tea and “never missed an opportunity to bear testimony of Jesus Christ.” The winter months were painfully harsh on her arthritis, but her testimony of the Savior was firm until she passed away in March 1984 before President Hinckley dedicated the Seoul Korea Temple in 1985. Her daughter reflected, “My mother was an extraordinary person.”[48]

Bishop Lim Gil Sung recalled going with Kim Cha Bong, then the mission president of the Seoul West Mission, to give a priesthood blessing to Sister Kim before she passed away. Lim received a strong “testimony of blessing the sick and the priesthood’s eminence.” [49] Sister Kim’s life was indeed parallel to the “silver thread, small but radiant with hope.” Throughout her life, she was found “in the path of her duty” to her family and others, including the sisters in the Relief Society.[50]

During the October 2023 general conference, Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of Twelve expressed gratitude for the millions of members who “in the path of their duty” consecrated their lives in quiet and humble service to Heavenly Father and His children. In his message, Elder Bednar quoted President Howard W. Hunter, who said, “If you feel that much of what you do this year or in the years to come does not make you very famous, take heart. Most of the best people who ever lived were not very famous either. Serve and grow, faithfully and quietly.”[51] Sister Kim is certainly among the best people who may not be very famous yet served quietly, humbly, and faithfully among the Korean Saints.

Kim Do Pil's personal story memoirs. Source: Kim Do Pil personal story memoirs document. Courtesy of Po Nien (Felipe) Chou.

J. Michael Allen, a Latter-day Saint scholar, noted that “Kim Do Pil [was] an extraordinary woman baptized by an American serviceman, who put great effort into the development of the Relief Society for LDS women in Korea” and who “also did extensive research on the Book of Mormon.”[52] Brother Kim Hyun from Korea said, “I am truly grateful for her exemplary demonstration of faith.” He added that “Sister Kim Do Pil’s influence, marked by her strength and leadership, played a pivotal role in unifying sisters and fostering their dedicated efforts for the Kingdom of Heaven. Her approach to love and leadership continues to serve as a profound inspiration for subsequent generations within the Korean Relief Society.”[53]

Sister Palmer, who knew Kim during their time together, called her a “dynamic and delightful woman. . . . [who] was keenly aware of the people and the world around her and spent a lifetime in the study of history, art, and religion.” According to Palmer, Kim “finely entwined her life in service to her family, her friends, and the members of the Church” and her “meticulous record keeping was one of her first devotions—not only her own journals and genealogy, but the details of her church activities.”[54] Palmer summarized the life of this stalwart and extraordinary Korean sister as follows:

Sister Kim was triumphantly proud of her three children. They were successful, and she was happy with their success. Her only unhappiness was that they did not see the Church as she saw it. She carried this burden to the grave. Her love for the gospel and the Book of Mormon sustained her through all the physical disabilities of her later years.

Hers is a legacy of love and devotion, of avid study of the scriptures, of Church service, of faith in Jesus Christ and his gifts of life and the resurrection of the healed body. Her faith has been powerfully conveyed in her devotion to relentless research into family genealogy files which have led to the performance of saving ordinances in the House of the Lord. She never wavered. Her influence still reaches out to all who are acquainted with her worthy example.[55]

Notes

The authors are grateful for a research grant provided by BYU’s Religious Studies Center.

[1] Spencer J. Palmer and Shirley H. Palmer, “Prologue,” in The Korean Saints: Personal Stories of Trial and Triumph, 1950–1980, ed. Spencer J. Palmer and Shirley H. Palmer (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1995), 1; in Korea, family name comes first before given name. For example, in Kim Do Pil, Kim is her family name and Do Pil is her given name.

[2] “South Korea: Chronology,” https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/history/global-histories/south-korea/kr-chronology; “South Korea,” https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org.

[3] Dong Sull Choi, “Korea,” in Encyclopedia of Latter-day Saint History, ed. Arnold K. Garr, Donald Q. Cannon, and Richard O. Cowan (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2000), 630–31; “Republic of Korea,” in 2013 Church Almanac (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2012), 550–51; James B. Allen, “On Becoming a Universal Church: Some Historical Perspectives,” Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought 25, no. 1 (1992): 13–36; Gerrit van Dyk, “A Long Hard Trial: The Korean Translation of the Book of Mormon” (BYU Faculty Publications, February 5, 2015), https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2599&context=facpub.

[4] Choi, “Korea,” 630–31; “Republic of Korea,” 550–51; “South Korea: Chronology”; “South Korea.”

[5] “South Korea.”

[6] Palmer and Palmer, “Prologue,” 1.

[7] Gordon B. Hinckley, in Conference Report, April 1968, 24.

[8] Shirley H. Palmer, “Kim Do Pil—Handmaiden of the Lord,” in Palmer and Palmer, Korean Saints, 26–27.

[9] Palmer, “Kim Do Pil,” 27.

[10] Palmer, “Kim Do Pil,” 27.

[11] Yi Eunlan, interview by Po Nien (Felipe) Chou and Petra Chou, February 1, 2024.

[12] Jeong Jihye, email to Po Nien (Felipe) Chou, February 5, 2024.

[13] Palmer, “Kim Do Pil,” 27.

[14] Robert C. Freeman and Dennis A. Wright, Saints at War: Korea and Vietnam (American Fork, UT: Covenant Communications, 2003), 23–34; Saints: The Story of the Church of Jesus Christ in the Latter Days, vol. 3, Boldly, Nobly, and Independent, 1893–1955 (Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2022), 579.

[15] Spencer J. Palmer, “Korea,” in The Church Encounters Asia (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1970), 93.

[16] Palmer, “Kim Do Pil,” 27.

[17] Palmer, “Kim Do Pil,” 27.

[18] Palmer, “Kim Do Pil,” 27–28.

[19] “Feed My Sheep,” Global Histories, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/history/global-histories/south-korea/stories-of-faith/kr-01-feed-my-sheep; Palmer, “Kim Do Pil,” 27–28.

[20] Palmer, “Korea,” 99; Freeman and Wright, Saints at War: Korea and Vietnam, 24.

[21] “South Korea: Chronology”; Hee-Chul Seo, “The Church in Korea: Gospel Light Shines through Hardship,” Ensign, September 2014, 36.

[22] Palmer, “Kim Do Pil,” 26.

[23] Kim Do Pil, to Dorothy Ewer, “Kim Do Pil correspondence and history, 1977–1980,” Church History Library, MS 28660.

[24] R. Lanier Britsch, “Korea, 1950–1977, in From the East: The History of the Latter-day Saints in Asia, 1851–1996 (SLC: Deseret Book, 1998), 170–202; Palmer, “Kim Do Pil,” 28.

[25] Palmer, “Korea,” 92.

[26] Lee Young Bum, “Lee Young Bum & Pearl W. Lee,” in Palmer and Palmer, Korean Saints, 154–160.

[27] Oh Kehi, “Oh Kehi & Kim Kyoung Ah,” in Palmer and Palmer, The Korean Saints, 161–63.

[28] Palmer, “Kim Do Pil,” 28.

[29] Paul Andrus and Frances Andrus, “Paul and Frances Andrus, 1955–1962,” in Book of Remembrance: Retrospectives by Missionaries of the Pioneer Era in Korea, 1956 to 1962, ed. Bruce Grant et al. (self-pub., 2016).

[30] Palmer, “Kim Do Pil,” 28.

[31] Palmer, “Kim Do Pil,” 28.

[32] Palmer, “Kim Do Pil,” 28–29.

[33] Choi Jaesin, “Choi Jaesin & Bae Yang Ja,” in Palmer and Palmer, The Korean Saints, 63–68.

[34] Yi, interview.

[35] Jeong Jihye, email to Po Nien (Felipe) Chou, February 5, 2024.

[36] Palmer, “Kim Do Pil,” 29.

[37] Gordon B. Hinkley, Korean Saints (documentary, KBYU, 1999); Freeman and Wright, Saints at War, 36–37.

[38] Palmer, “Kim Do Pil,” 29–30.

[39] Palmer, “Kim Do Pil,” 29–30.

[40] Palmer, “Kim Do Pil,” 30.

[41] Hee-Chui Seo, “The Church in Korea—Gospel Light Shines through Hardship,” Ensign, September 2014, Gospel Library; Palmer, “Kim Do Pil,” 30.

[42] Palmer, “Kim Do Pil,” 30; Julie I. Chon, “David N. Chon & Julie I. Chon,” in Palmer and Palmer, Korean Saints, 72–79.

[43] Palmer, “Kim Do Pil,” 31.

[44] Palmer, “Kim Do Pil,” 31.

[45] Britsch, 182–83 “Korea, 1950-1977,” “South Korea: Chronology.”

[46] Palmer, “Korea,” 108.

[47] Hee-Chui Seo, “The Church in Korea.”

[48] “Sister Kim Do Pil, ‘Handmaiden of the Lord,’” by Shirley H. Palmer, trans. Hyun Kim and Jihye Jeong, in authors’ possession; Palmer, “Kim Do Pil,” 31.

[49] Lim Gil Sung, “Lim Gil Sung & Kim Hyŏn-suk,” in Palmer and Palmer, Korean Saints, 739–46.

[50] Palmer, “Kim Do Pil,” 31.

[51] David A. Bednar, “In the Path of Their Duty,” Liahona, October 2023 general conference, Gospel Library; Howard W. Hunter, “No Less Serviceable” (devotional, Brigham Young University, September 2, 1990), 6, https://speeches.byu.edu.

[52] J. Michael Allen, “Book Review,” Journal of Mormon History 22, no. 1 (Spring 1996): 216.

[53] Kim Hyun, email communication with Po Nien (Felipe) Chou, February 5, 2024.

[54] Palmer, “Kim Do Pil,” 26.

[55] Palmer, “Kim Do Pil,” 31–32.