Elijah Jang-Whan Kim
Elijah Jang-Whan Kim | |
|---|---|
| |
| Church | Anglican Church of Korea |
| Diocese | Seoul |
| In office | Since 2026 (as primate) |
| Predecessor | Onesimus Park |
| Other post | Bishop of Seoul (since 2024) |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | May 1998 |
| Consecration | 26 September 2024 |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1963 or 1964 (age 62–63) |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 김장환 |
| RR | Gim Janghwan |
| MR | Kim Changhwan |
Elijah Jang-Whan Kim (Korean: 김장환) is a South Korean Anglican bishop. He has been bishop of Seoul since 2024 and primate of the Anglican Church of Korea since June 2026.
Biography
Kim was born in 1963 or 1964 and ordained to the priesthood in May 1998.[1] He began his ordained ministry as assistant priest at Suwon Church in Seoul and then from 1999 to 2005 he was a priest at Seoul's Dongsuwon Church. From 2005 to 2017, he was priest in charge at Osan Seoma Church, which was the largest evangelical church in the Diocese of Seoul. He served from 2017 to 2022 at Bundang Church and from 2022 to 2024 at Daehakro Church.[2]
In April 2024, Kim was elected the seventh bishop of Seoul. As bishop of Seoul, his territory includes a missionary district comprising North Korea. As an evangelical Anglican, Kim's election marked a change in the diocese, which had traditionally practiced Anglo-Catholic churchmanship.[2] He was consecrated and installed as bishop of Seoul at Seoul Anglican Cathedral on 26 September 2024.[1][2]
Shortly after his installation as bishop, Kim requested an audit of diocesan accounts, which discovered the alleged embezzlement of ₩320 million (US$234711.65) by a diocesan official. The matter was reported to authorities and the official, a priest, was suspended from ministry and later returned a portion of the funds.[3]
In July 2025, Kim visited the Korean convocation of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles in the United States.[4] Later that year, the Diocese of Seoul donated ₩40 million (US$28133.77) to create an "Anglican forest" in an area of Mongolia experiencing desertification. The initiative included the planting of 3,000 trees.[5]
On 13 June 2026, during the 35th national synod of the Anglican Church of Korea, Kim was unanimously elected to a renewable two-year term as primate of the church. Kim said that he would focus on "fostering true church unity, igniting a spiritual church revival and expanding our meaningful contribution to the Anglican Communion."[6]
References
- 1 2 Ritzema, Elliot (19 June 2026). "Seoul Bishop Elected Primate of the Anglican Church of Korea". The Living Church. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 Conger, George (5 December 2024). "Evangelical elected bishop of Seoul". Anglican Ink. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
- ↑ Conger, George (5 December 2024). "Senior priest suspended in Seoul after mission money goes missing". Anglican Ink. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
- ↑ "L.A. diocese welcomes Episcopal Church's Korean Convocation". Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles. 2 July 2025. Retrieved 3 July 2026.
- ↑ "(사)푸른아시아, 대한성공회 몽골 '성공회 숲' 조성기금 전달-브레이크뉴스". 브레이크뉴스 (in Korean). 6 September 2025. Retrieved 2 July 2026.
- ↑ "Bishop Elijah Jang-Whan Kim installed as Primate of the Anglican Church of Korea". Anglican Communion News Service. 30 January 2026. Retrieved 2 July 2026.