August 2025
Earlier this month, Dr. Kyun
g-dong Yoo, the President of Methodist Theological University in South Korea, along with Provost Hae-jeong Park and Dr. Hyung-jin Cho, Dean of External Affairs and Development, visited the Vanderbilt Divinity School campus to meet with Dean Yolanda Pierce, students, and faculty. This visit signals a strengthening relationship between the two institutions.
President Yoo is the 16th President of the University, which holds the distinction of being the first seminary and the first co-ed university in South Korea. Throughout its 137-year-old history, the University has shared common goals with VDS in training the next generation of scholars and advocates for ministry and social justice.
President Yoo is a graduate of Vanderbilt Divinity. Since his graduation, he has actively served as a liaison between the two institutions. “We are happy to partner with President Yoo to nurture our commitment to the Methodist Church, locally and globally,” Dean Pierce stated after their meeting. “We are always looking to partner with VDS Alumni, and it was so good to finally meet President Yoo, Provost Park and Dr. Cho in person and hear about the great work they are doing at the Methodist Theological Seminary.” 
A crucial part of Vanderbilt Divinity School’s mission is to “educate future scholars and teachers, locally and globally.” As part of that mission, Dean Pierce traveled to South Korea in April 2025 and met with several academic and church leaders. This growing partnership with the Methodist Theological University in South Korea is posed to enrich the cultural and educational experiences of both institutions.