Church without a cross? Step into Korea's most unusual place of worship

One of the greatest masterpieces by architect Kim Swoo-geun, the Kyungdong Presbyterian Church in central Seoul is well known for its distinctive exterior. Korea Times photo by Lee Han-ho

By Hankookilbo

• Published Aug 2, 2026 12:20 AM KST

Kyungdong Presbyterian Church, Kim Swoo-geun's architectural masterpiece, finally opens its doors to visitors

There is a church in Seoul with no visible cross marking the exterior. Visitors looking only at the facade cannot immediately discern whether the brick structure is a church, a Buddhist temple or a school. A short walk from Dongdaemun History and Culture Park intersection toward Jangchung Gymnasium reveals a fortress-like brick building supported by roughly 10 external buttresses. The structure stands in stark contrast to conventional Korean churches signaled by ubiquitous red neon crosses.

The building is a seminal work by modern Korean architect Kim Swoo-geun (1931–1986). Architectural historians consider the church one of his greatest masterpieces, alongside the architecture firm Space's former Jongno District headquarters — currently a commercial building. The church has long served as an under-the-radar architectural destination, though entry to the main sanctuary remained restricted to congregation members.

Starting in July, Kyungdong Presbyterian Church has opened public tours. The official tours allow visitors to explore the main sanctuary and an upper chapel originally built without a roof. Experiencing the interior is essential to appreciating the full depth of the unique architecture of this remarkable building.

Masterpiece of sacred architecture that inspires reverence even in nonbelievers

The entrance to the main sanctuary sits at the rear of the building, requiring visitors to walk halfway around the perimeter. A winding staircase divides the main street from the church grounds. The church associates the stairs with Calvary, while architectural records show Kim drew inspiration from traditional Korean mountain temples and how they use architecture to mark the separation between the temple and the secular world outside.

The approach reflects Kim's post-1970s works, which reinterpreted traditional Korean elements within modern architecture. Kim designed three religious buildings: Sacred Heart Cathedral in Changwon in 1979, Kyungdong Presbyterian Church in central Seoul in 1982 and Bulgwang-dong Catholic Church in northern Seoul in 1985.

All three structures feature external stairs or ramps and red brick exterior walls, a material Kim considered "the most Korean building material" of his era, and he used them liberally in his designs, with many of them in Seoul's Daehak-ro neighborhood.

Architectural critics widely regard the Kyungdong Presbyterian Church as the finest of Kim's red brick works. Climbing the Calvary-inspired staircase evokes humility under soaring exterior walls. Bricks stacked into a monolithic mass appear irregular from below, yet a step forward reveals columns converging toward a single vanishing point. The identical brick materials obscure the viewer's exact position on the staircase.

From a distance, the overall silhouette resembles hands raised in prayer. Kim designed the structure to point upward instead of erecting a separate steeple. The church brochure adopts this silhouette as its main visual motif.

The sanctuary interior reinterprets the idea of early Christian catacombs, the subterranean cemeteries in Rome where Christians secretly held worship services. The underground motif is developed in elements like small exterior windows and repetitive trapezoidal structures supporting the ceiling to evoke the feeling of a cave. The exposed concrete walls contrast with the red brick exterior. The austerity of the spaces guides believers toward their spiritual roots, while combining Kim's early work in exposed concrete with his later brickwork.

Inside the dark sanctuary, a single beam of bright light falls on the altar cross. The cross appears only on entering the worship space. Though invisible from the pews, a window above the cross lets sunlight stream into the sanctuary. Even for those who have never practiced a religion, the space inspires a quiet sense of reverence thanks to the extraordinary power of the architecture.

A hidden, narrow staircase on the left side of the sanctuary lets visitors ascend to a small, theater-like chapel originally designed as an open-air space. The church currently uses the room as the Yeohae Cultural Space.

Elder Shim Jung-ki said the church originally invited artists to perform in the open-air chapel, but added a roof after nearby residents complained about noise. Shim said that adding the roof reduced usage and conflicted with the architect's original intent, leading church members to agree in principle to remove the roof once the church secures funding for demolition and restoration.

The sanctuary was previously accessible to nonmembers only during semiannual Thursday concerts during Lent in the spring and the Season of Creation, in October and November. The concerts gave limited opportunities for detailed architectural exploration, prompting the church to launch a tour led by church elders who explain the history and design. The tour features a live pipe organ performance in the main sanctuary.

Visitors can apply for tours through an online form linked on the Kyungdong Presbyterian Church website. The next tour is scheduled for Aug. 8 at 2 p.m., with weekend slots added in August to accommodate working professionals unable to attend July's Wednesday sessions. The church plans to offer periodic tours through the end of 2026, before establishing a regular schedule in January 2027. The tours are permanently free of charge.

Bulgwang-dong Catholic Church: Last piece of Kim's religious trilogy

Subway Line 3 connects Dongguk University Station near Kyungdong Presbytarian Church to Bulgwang Station, allowing visitors to also tour Bulgwang-dong Catholic Church. The building is the final work of Kim's religious architecture trilogy. Catholic doctrine requires parishes to keep main sanctuaries open outside Mass hours, permitting general visitors to quietly explore the interior.

Bulgwang-dong Catholic Church differs significantly from Kyungdong Presbyterian Church despite the use of similar materials. While Kyungdong Presbyterian Church avoids conventional building shapes, Bulgang-dong Catholic Church evokes an ordinary cathedral split into staggered sections that also represent praying hands.

Stained-glass windows cast colorful light across the sanctuary, contrasting with Kyungdong Presbyterian Church's darkness. Natural light enters from different angles through windows at the rear entrance, beside the front cross and along both side walls. Sculptor Kim Se-joong (1928–1986), former director of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art and creator of the Admiral Yi Sun-sin statue in Gwanghwamun, sculpted the altar cross.

Bulgwang-dong Catholic Church also requires visitors to navigate a multi-stage pilgrim's path. Visitors climb stairs from the parking lot to the main entrance and have to cross the interior space before ascending another rear staircase to reach the upper sanctuary. The spatial layout evokes a traditional Korean house, leading into an inner courtyard and Marian garden.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.