So nice to be with you. Nice to meet you. I’m very honored. Oh. I’m honored. On the first leg of a ten-day ministry to South Korea and Japan, Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,

visited Seoul, Republic of Korea.

Thank you for being here. Nice to see you. Elder Cook honored pioneer members at a dinner prior to

a nationwide devotional, many of whom joined the Church in the 1950s and ’60s.

Can all of you that were baptized between 17 and 22, I want you to stand, including the first female to join the Church in South Korea.

[WOMAN SPEAKING IN KOREAN]

This could be the first time in my life that, you know, one of the Church apostles coming to have this kind of meeting. This is wonderful. We are very grateful for this meeting to remember our pioneer in Korea.

It's wonderful. So you really are pioneers.

The Apostle asked the pioneer Saints to sing Happy Birthday to Church president Russell M. Nelson, who was turning 100 years old. ♪ Happy birthday to you. ♪

[APPLAUSE]

Elder Cook held a nationwide devotional where he encouraged Korean families to hold true to their values and obey the commandments of God.

He promised they will be safe even though the world is in turmoil. In a world where there is no peace,

[MAN SPEAKING IN KOREAN]

I bless you that you will have personal peace. While in the Republic of Korea, Elder Cook visited... It's so nice to be with you.

...Supreme Court Justice Yong Junghwan and his wife, Yang Xin Yi. We were very honored and delighted to have a personal opportunity to meet them.

[WOMAN SPEAKING IN KOREAN]

We just had a wonderful meeting with Justice Kwan. He has, in the past, been a faithful leader in the Church.

Justice Kwan was a regional leader for the Church in Korea before his Supreme Court appointment. I was really impressed and so grateful that he represents the Church as well as the country now.

The Gwangju recall earnestly praying on whether to accept the appointment in 2023. [WOMAN SPEAKING IN KOREAN]

What I have learned in this gospel are greatly benefiting what I do as a Supreme Court justice. And I'm learning new things, and I’m trying to serve my country better. Nice to meet you.

I’m very honored. Oh. I’m honored. Elder Cook also met renowned professor of religion Doctor Choi Young Kim to

discuss such matters as religious freedom.

I think one of the most important, human dignity, and also human right. This is a very competent, capable person and had a lot of connections with the Church.

Understands us well and very kind. Elder Cook—he has a very open heart beyond your religious traditions. National journalist Huizhong Huang interviewed Elder Cook about the Church’s views on the family, faith, and helping the needy. He's just marvelous. You know,

he's obviously very bright and he asked really good questions, but he's concerned about the same kinds of issues. He's concerned about societal issues. The Apostle says outreach visits like these are insightful and invaluable. There's a continuum that builds relationships and then helps in issues like religious freedom and times when the societal issues are not just political, but are impacting faith. I think it's incredibly important that we do it.

Elder Cook met missionaries in the area, shared a message with young single adults at a special devotional,

and presided over a special stake conference in Seoul.

We just want the very best for you. Members and friends of the Church and Apostle alike said farewell until they meet again. More edified, more humbled, more grateful than before.

Oh, I think it's important for them. I think it's important for us. There are things that we learn that we couldn't learn in any other way by sitting and listening and talking to them and being close to them.