Efforts are underway to have EXPLO ’74, a large-scale evangelistic gathering widely known as the catalyst for the rapid growth of Korea’s national evangelism movement and the Korean church, registered as a UNESCO world record heritage site and a national record cultural heritage site.
The process officially began on January 7, when representatives met with officials from the Korea Cultural Heritage Administration to discuss the historical and documentary significance of the 1974 events, according to leaders involved in the effort.
According to Christian Daily Korea, Pastor Kim Chul-young, senior representative of the Korean Christian Public Policy Council, and Dr. Kim Chul-hye, a former New Testament professor at Torch Trinity Graduate School who has conducted academic research on the ’74 explosion, visited the agency and held discussions with those in charge of World Heritage policy.
EXPLO ’74 was held at Yeouido Square in Seoul from August 13th to 18th, 1974. Pastor Kim said that this event was unprecedented in the history of the church in South Korea and the world. At a time when South Korea’s Christian population was estimated at 2.7 million to 3 million, the conference attracted 313,419 participants from 84 countries.
A total of 3,407 overseas participants attended and shared the vision, strategy and passion of Korea’s national evangelization movement as stated by the organizers. The evening prayer gathering drew a crowd of more than 1 million people, bringing the total number of participants for the entire event to an estimated 6.5 million, Kim said.
Christian Daily Korea reported that the Ministry of Communications commissioned the Korea Mint and Security Printing Corporation to produce two commemorative stamps commemorating the event. On August 13, 1974, the first day of the conference, a total of 2.8 million stamps were issued.
After this event, the Ministry of Culture and Information produced a 16 minute 40 second documentary film about EXPLO ’74. The film will be screened in movie theaters across the country ahead of the feature film, marking the first time a Christian event in South Korea has received such treatment. Kim said the stamps and original materials related to the film were confirmed through the National Archives of Korea and Korea Post.
Organizers emphasized that EXPLO ’74 is the first international event of its kind hosted by the Korean church, reflected in its official title: “World Conference on Evangelization – EXPLO ’74.” The conference was primarily organized and staffed by university students under the leadership of Pastor Kim Joong-gun, founder of the Korea Campus Christian Crusade.
Dr. Kim Chul-hye said she participated in the event as a university student and served as a small group leader. He noted that the size of the rally attracted widespread public attention, given the political and social climate at the time. He expressed hope that the event would be officially recognized as a UNESCO World Record Heritage Site.
Eo Sumi, Director-General of the World Heritage Policy Division, emphasized that although the event appears to be of sufficient value to be registered as a documentary heritage site, preparatory steps are necessary, such as securing original materials and conducting academic evaluation.
Pastor Kim Cheol-young said the process toward UNESCO registration and national designation would proceed in stages. He said a preparatory committee will be established with the participation of Korean church organizations such as Campus Crusade for Christ, World Holy Cities Movement Headquarters, Korean Christian Public Policy Council, and Korean Church Community to advance this effort step by step.
Christian Daily Korea reported that supporters of the initiative see the designation not only as historical recognition but also as a way to preserve and pass on to future generations what they say is a defining moment in the spiritual history of the Korean church.
