Presbyterian roots Originally called the Pyongyang Chosun Jesus Presbyterian Seminary, it was founded in 1901 by
Samuel Austin Moffett, the father of
Samuel H. Moffett. Initially, the seminary would consist of two years of preparatory courses and the actual seminary lasting three years. The Seminary was the center of Korean Christianity of the early 20th century. The first class graduated in 1907. By 1916 Moffett was in disagreement with a teacher at the school,
James Scarth Gale. Their differences concerning the quality of teaching, materials, and admission would develop into a schism between conservatives and liberals. Initially, the seminary remained conservative and mission-oriented. The seminary was temporarily closed in 1938 following the
Japanese occupation of Korea. The Japanese occupiers demanded that students of the seminary would bow to
Shinto shrines, something that they could not agree to. After the
division of Korea, the seminary was relocated to
Seoul in South Korea in 1948 and renamed the Presbyterian Theological Seminary.
Under government control In 1972, the seminary was reopened and assumed by the government-controlled Protestant body
Korean Christian Federation (KCF). It reopened in 2000, and a new building was completed in 2003. ==Operation==