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The Church announced today that a temple will be built in Busan, South Korea. This will be the second temple built in South Korea after the Seoul Temple.

The Church in Korea has not been faring well the last 20 years. About 20 years ago, there were 105 Wards, 81 Branches and 17 Stakes. Today there are 60 Wards, 40 Branches and 12 Stakes. For the last 20 years, Korea has lost an average of just over 2 Wards per year, 2 Branches per year and 1 Stake every 4 years. https://www.cumorah.com/countries/viewS ... th%20Korea

At this rate, there will not be any units in 20 years. I've not seen any evidence or reason why the hemorrhaging of units will reverse course in Korea.

I posted a while back about my experience visiting the Branch in Gimcheon, Korea about 30 years after my brother served a mission there. Very enlightening about the challenges the Church faces there:

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=155891&p=2795042#p2795042

Unless things drastically change, in 20 years from now there will be no Wards, Branches or Stakes in Korea. Just two empty temples, one in Seoul and one in Busan. It's very strange the Church chose to put another temple in Korea.

Good points, Everybody Wang Chung. Agreed.

More evidence, in my mind, the church’s main priority is wealth growth rather than membership growth or spreading the gospel.

Is there any evidence to support the claim that building temples increases membership growth?

My rudimentary understanding of the numbers suggests to me any and all real growth in the last 20-30 years has come from new territories (Africa) rather than from areas with an established Church structure. New Temples don't seem to move the needle.

All I can say the Branch in Pyeongtaek when I was stationed in Korea circa 2014-2015 was absolutely dead AND members were in the midst of apostatizing, easily a 1/3 of them - we’re talking families with five kids and the such. Also, not a Korean to be found despite the fairly heavy missionary presence.

- Doc

If the LDS Church wants to build pretty buildings with nice landscaping, I am not opposed. After all, I’m not paying for them.