GIGANTIC PROJECT

In the summer of 1979, the Governing Body gave the branch permission to begin looking for a new branch location. After a one-year search, a nine-acre piece of farm and forest land was found about 42 miles south of Seoul, in Kyonggi Do, Ansung Kun, Kongdo Myun. This would place the branch in a pollution-free environment.

This expansion project was of gigantic proportions when compared to previous ones. The branch would now be taking on the work of printing magazines and also preparing for future printing of books. A glow of excitement prevailed on May 8, 1982, when the completed buildings were dedicated and Brothers Franz and Barry from world headquarters were on hand to give special talks.

Because of the help from the brothers in the United States and Japan, as well as cooperation from a local commercial printing company, the branch now has its own printery. In a very short time the pressrun of each issue of the magazines increased to almost 200,000, keeping all the machinery busy all day long.

Three years after the branch was moved to Kongdo, Brother Albert Schroeder of the Governing Body, serving as the zone overseer, dedicated an addition to the property in May 1985. The addition doubled the floor space to just under 100,000 square feet. The publishers increased from 30,000 in 1982 to over 39,600 in 1985. What growth!

Since Seoul is not only the capital of South Korea but also the center of business, it was deemed necessary to have the registered office of the corporation remain there. A fine new building containing this office for the branch, a Kingdom Hall, and sufficient storage room for a literature depot was built in Seoul and dedicated on December 20, 1986. Four members of the Bethel family live and work there.

HIGH-SPEED WEB PRESS HUMMING

Almost 600 years ago Koreans advanced printing technology by inventing the first movable metal printing type. Today, Korean Witnesses use state-of-the-art printing technology to advance Kingdom interests. With their prepress work flowing out of computer-assisted equipment and a new Mitsubishi web-offset press rolling out 500 full-color 32-page magazines per minute, they have no problem producing sufficient magazines and literature. The first idea of obtaining such a large press began in the summer of 1983 when Brother Lloyd Barry, serving as zone overseer, saw the overworked condition of the printery.

At that time the factory was filled to capacity. There was absolutely no space available to put a 130-ton press, 85 feet in length, on the floor. This meant another building, a second expansion in Kongdo in just four years. Up to this time the Korean magazines had been three months behind the English editions, so the prospect of printing magazines simultaneously with the English made all the work worth while.

Importing such a press, though, was beset with many problems. Government policy stipulated that a recommendation had to be received from the government before permission would be granted for import. This was next to impossible. However, in the summer of 1985 that restriction was lifted, and the brothers at the branch immediately obtained an import license. Within six weeks of obtaining that permit, the law changed back again, requiring a recommendation. The holy spirit had opened the way; the brothers acted quickly. Thus, in the branch today the printing press is humming so that the publishers’ hands will be kept filled with literature for use in witnessing.

[Box/​Pictures on page 193]

On May 23, 1987, a three-story addition to the branch facility in Kongdo was dedicated by Milton G. Henschel of the Governing Body. The new factory building houses a new 130-ton, four-color, web-fed offset printing press. Brother Henschel spoke to 2,060 assembled at the branch site. This is the branch’s second major addition since 1982

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Original residence building dedicated in 1982

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Office building; factory (cream-colored part in center); and, at right, new residence building dedicated in 1985

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Factory addition, at right, dedicated in 1987

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Architect’s rendering of Korea branch facility

[Picture on page 194]

Japanese and Korean branch personnel worked and trained together after 85-foot-long, four-color press was installed in branch addition at Kongdo in 1986