Elder Cook Engages Supreme Court Justice and Journalist in South Korea 

Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has concluded a four-day visit to Seoul, South Korea. The Apostle met with a South Korea Supreme Court justice, a journalist with Asia Today and a renowned professor of religion. He also ministered to Latter-day Saints.

Japan is the next leg of Elder Cook’s trip. He is being accompanied throughout by his wife, Mary.

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South Korea Supreme Court Justice Youngjoon Kwon

On Sunday, September 8, 2024, the Apostle and his wife, Mary, spent time with South Korea Supreme Court Justice Youngjoon Kwon and his wife, Yeonshin Lee. The Kwons are Latter-day Saints. He served as an Area Seventy for three years before being confirmed as a Supreme Court justice (a six-year term) in 2023. The Kwons have a son serving a mission in New York.

“I love Elder Cook because he’s an Apostle. He was called by God,” Kwon said. “And after having a personal conversation with him, I came to admire him as a great person, as a great individual. It was a really precious moment.”

Kwon said his service as a South Korea Supreme Court justice and his membership in the Church of Jesus Christ go hand in hand.

“What I have learned in this gospel is greatly benefiting what I do as a Supreme Court justice,” he said. “I’m learning new things and I’m trying to serve my country better. As I endeavor to do that, the gospel of Jesus Christ has helped me significantly.”

Elder Cook called Kwon “exceptionally competent” and a “remarkable leader.” And he said Youngjoon and Lee make a great team.

“He and his wife are equally yoked. They’re just a wonderful couple and have marvelous children,” Elder Cook said. “He, with all his heart, is serving South Korea as a Supreme Court justice.”

“It was just a delightful experience to be with them and hear about their family and the things they’re doing,” Sister Cook added. “We’re so pleased that he’s doing what he’s doing now for his country and for the Church.”

Interview With Asia Today

In an interview the following day with Euinjoong Hwang of the news outlet Asia Today, Elder Cook was asked about the value of religion in society, competition between believers, how Church teachings can help Korea today, what a true Christian is, and how to approach political correctness.

Elder Cook said Hwang is “marvelous” and “asked really good questions. He’s concerned about the same kinds of issues we are.”

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Some of Elder Cook’s answers to Hwang’s questions are below.

What is the value of religion to society?

“We believe that those who feel accountable to God not only want to bless their own families, but they feel accountable to God to help their neighbors. We believe it’s really good for communities and for countries to foster faith and foster religion.”

How do you feel about competition between believers?

“In my experience all over the world, I have so many friends that are leaders of other faiths. When we get together, we find so much in common. To the point about accountability to God — they’re happy that our people are feeling that, and we’re happy they are accomplishing good things too. Do we want everybody to come into our faith? We do, but not to the exclusion of others. We would not want anything legal that precluded other faiths. We want lots of faiths.”

How can Church teachings help South Korea today?

“Our faith has an enormous outreach to those who are in need, where humanitarian efforts need to help them. That’s a major focus that we have. We want to help those in our faith that are having a difficult time. But we also want to have humanitarian outreach to anybody who is trying to take care of Heavenly Father’s children. We’re particularly concerned about children and overcoming diseases that impact people in an adverse way.”

What do you think of those who say the family is a barrier to success?

“We’re very worried about this. In our Church, we see the family. And under our doctrine, that family can remain together in the eternities and actually can live in a relationship to God the Father and Jesus Christ. We’re always sensitive to those who are not able to get married, and we know God will take care of them. But those who choose not to be engaged in a family relationship are not making a wise decision. We strongly support the family, and we strongly support marriage, and we strongly support children.”

How would you describe the true Christian?

“In our faith, it’s following Jesus Christ. Love is the central ingredient. It’s loving those that are near to us, but also having love for those that we come into contact with. If you look at the Savior’s example, He didn’t spend all his time with those who completely agreed with him. Love your neighbor as you love yourself.”

Churches in Korea are struggling with political correctness. How do you approach political correctness?

“I think our prophet [President Russell M. Nelson] has said this very, very well. He would say, ‘Let’s not identify by our various labels. Let’s have everybody belong.’ The one word that he often uses is ‘belong.’ That we treat everybody as they are, as children of a loving Heavenly Father.”

Dr. Chae Young Kim of Sogang University

On Monday, September 9, the Apostle met Dr. Chae Young Kim, a notable professor at Sogang University.

Dr. Kim said he “felt a very open heart” from Elder Cook.

“Elder Cook is really reading what’s going on in our world, especially from the perspective of spirituality,” Dr. Kim said. “He has a very open heart for others. He has great concern beyond his religious tradition.”

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Dr. Kim, who has attended Brigham Young University’s annual religious freedom conference, said religious freedom is a fundamental human right. He urges faith groups to be especially mindful of the religiously unaffiliated, also known as “nones.”

“I think it’s one of the most important [aspects] of human dignity,” he said of religious freedom. “It is innate to the human [condition], this concern about spirituality. Many people do not belong to religious denominations, but they are hungry for spirituality. All religious traditions have to pay attention to those emerging groups, such as ‘nones.’”

Elder Cook described Dr. Kim as kind, deep and thoughtful.

“This is a very competent, capable person,” the Apostle said. “He has had a lot of connections with the Church and understands us well. He strives to tell others [about us] in a way that’s very favorable to us and helps us be better understood for who we really are.”

Elder Cook Speaks to Saints Throughout South Korea

On September 7, Elder Cook met with some of the earliest members of the Church of Jesus Christ in South Korea.

Nag Yeon Lee, who joined the Church in 1962, said this was the first time he had been in this kind of meeting with an Apostle. And he said the difference in Korean society’s spiritual focus between 1962 and 2024 is stark.

“At that time, we were very poor physically but spiritually very high and rich,” Lee said. “But today we are physically too rich, too bountiful, but spiritually too poor.”

Shul Bae Dong, who joined the Church in 1982, said, “We are very grateful for this meeting to remember our pioneers in Korea. It’s wonderful.”

In a devotional broadcast to Latter-day Saints throughout South Korea later that day, Elder Cook said a recent message from a Jewish friend about antisemitism reminded him of an important spiritual lesson for our difficult days.

“The world is in commotion,” Elder Cook said. “You can hardly read any news without realizing that there are great difficulties across the earth.”

When Elder and Sister Cook were living in the San Francisco Bay Area in the 1960s, they wondered whether the social unrest, riots and drug culture were reasons enough to take their family somewhere safer. Many local Latter-day Saints were asking the same question. So, their stake president wrote to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

Harold B. Lee, the President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, visited San Francisco and counseled people to stay. He gave them three ways to stay safe and righteous anywhere in the world.

1. Build Zion in your hearts and homes.
2. Be an example in the community where you live.
3. Have your vision on the temple.

Elder Cook said the same teachings apply to the Saints of South Korea.

“Make your home a special place where you are living the gospel of Jesus Christ,” he said. “We need to always have the Savior and the Father in our thoughts. In a world where there is no peace, I bless you that you will have personal peace — the peace that passes understanding because you know the Savior.”