Far East Broadcasting marks 70th anniversary with Rev. Kim's vision for 'next 100 years'

Far East Broadcasting, a Protestant missionary broadcaster, announced Sunday that it had successfully wrapped up a series of large-scale events in Seoul and Busan to mark its 70th anniversary.

The celebrations kicked off Thursday with the 35th Far East Broadcasting National Grand Choral Festival at Busan Concert Hall, where seven church choir teams — more than 1,200 singers in total — performed alongside an orchestra.

On Friday, about 600 prominent figures from religious, political, government, business and academic circles gathered at The Grand Lotte Seoul in Jung-gu for a 70th anniversary commemorative luncheon. Former President Lee Myung-bak and Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon attended and delivered congratulatory remarks.

The celebrations culminated Saturday with the 70th Anniversary Homecoming Day at Hanyang University in Seongdong-gu, Seoul, drawing more than 12,000 congregation members and supporters.

The festivities closed with a 70th anniversary commemorative concert at the Hanyang University open-air theater, featuring performances by Sesibong and Cha Ji-yeon, among others.

Rev. Kim Jang-hwan, chairman of Far East Broadcasting's board of directors, said the events served as "a meaningful milestone to reflect on 70 years of grace while proclaiming a new media missionary vision for the next 100 years." He added that the broadcaster would "continue to fulfill its mission of media evangelism to bring the gospel to a unified Korean Peninsula and awaken the next generation, steadily expanding the reach of its media ministry."