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Yoido Full Gospel Church pastor honored for promoting family-friendly culture
Senior Pastor of Yoido Full Gospel Church Lee Young-hoon / Courtesy of Yoido Full Gospel Church
By Kim Se-jeong
Lee Young-hoon, senior pastor of Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul, received a presidential award Thursday for his leadership in advancing family-friendly initiatives through the church’s outreach programs.
The award was presented by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family as part of May's Family Month celebrations. Lee was among 85 honorees recognized at a ceremony in Seoul.
“The church was recognized for promoting the value of life through support for single-parent families and for contributing to the spread of a family-friendly culture through initiatives like childbirth celebration grants and day care centers,” the church said in a statement.
Yoido Full Gospel Church is the largest Protestant church in the world by membership, with approximately 480,000 members, of which 150,000 are active. Lee has served as senior pastor since 2008.
Between 2021 and 2024, the church has distributed a total of 6.1 billion won ($4.2 million) in childbirth encouragement funds and donated 120 strollers to single-parent families.
In addition, the church supports the elderly, children and people with disabilities through medical services, humanitarian aid and programs that promote independent living. It also operates a foundation that offers scholarships to young adults without families and to young single mothers.
The church’s Global Elim Foundation supports multicultural families and international students in Korea by providing language, legal and medical assistance. It also builds international networks to share experiences and best practices.
Other award recipients included a businessman who has provided free wedding venues to more than 15,000 couples over the past 30 years; the Family Support Center in Muan County, South Jeolla Province, which assisted children of victims of the Jeju Air plane crash; and Youngnak Mojawon, a welfare facility in Seoul that supports single-parent families.