Efforts are underway to seek UNESCO World Documentary Heritage inscription and national documentary cultural heritage designation for EXPLO ’74, a large-scale evangelistic gathering widely regarded as a catalyst for Korea’s national evangelization movement and the rapid growth of the Korean church.
Leaders involved in the initiative said the process formally began on Jan. 7, when representatives met with officials at the Korea Heritage Service to discuss the historical and documentary significance of the 1974 event.
According to Christian Daily Korea, Rev. Kim Chul-young, senior representative of the Korean Christian Public Policy Council, and Dr. Kim Chul-hae, a former New Testament professor at Torch Trinity Graduate University who has conducted academic research on EXPLO ’74, visited the agency to consult with officials responsible for World Heritage policy.
EXPLO ’74 was held Aug. 13–18, 1974, at Yeouido Plaza in Seoul. Rev. Kim said the event was unprecedented in scale in both Korean church history and global church history. At a time when Korea’s Christian population was estimated at 2.7 million to 3 million, 313,419 people attended the conference, with participants coming from 84 countries.
A total of 3,407 overseas participants took part, sharing what organizers described as the vision, strategy and passion of Korea’s national evangelization movement. Evening prayer gatherings drew crowds of more than one million people, and cumulative participation throughout the event reached an estimated 6.5 million, Kim said.
Christian Daily Korea reported that the Ministry of Communications commissioned the Korea Minting and Security Printing Corporation to produce two commemorative postage stamps marking the event. A total of 2.8 million stamps were issued on Aug. 13, 1974, the opening day of the conference.
Following the event, the Ministry of Culture and Information produced a 16-minute, 40-second documentary film about EXPLO ’74. The film was screened in movie theaters nationwide before feature films, marking the first time a Korean Christian event received such treatment. Kim said original materials related to the stamps and the film have been confirmed through the National Archives of Korea and the Korea Post.
Organizers emphasized that EXPLO ’74 was the first international event of its kind hosted by the Korean church, reflected in its official title, World Congress on Evangelization – EXPLO ’74. The conference was largely organized and staffed by university students under the leadership of Rev. Kim Jun-gon, founder of Korea Campus Crusade for Christ.
Dr. Kim Chul-hae said he participated in the event as a university student and served as a small-group leader. He noted that, given the political and social climate of the time, the sheer scale of the gathering drew widespread public attention. He expressed hope that the event would be formally recognized as UNESCO World Documentary Heritage.
Eo Su-mi, an administrative officer with the World Heritage Policy Division, said the event appears to have sufficient merit for documentary heritage inscription, but emphasized that preliminary steps are required, including securing original source materials and conducting scholarly evaluations.
Rev. Kim Chul-young said the process toward UNESCO inscription and national designation will be gradual. He said a preparatory committee will be formed involving Korean church organizations, including Campus Crusade for Christ, the World Holy City Movement Headquarters, the Korean Christian Public Policy Council and the Communion of Churches in Korea, to advance the 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 means of preserving and passing on to future generations what they describe as a defining moment in the spiritual history of the Korean Church.
