Evangelist Will Graham set to return to the country that hosted his grandfather’s largest-ever outreach
UIJEONGBU, South Korea, April 20, 2026 – The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA), along with churches from across the region, will hold the Uijeongbu Billy Graham Crusade with Will Graham on May 17 at the Uijeongbu Sports Complex. The family-friendly event will feature music by special guest artists and a message from Will Graham, the grandson of the late evangelist Billy Graham and son of Franklin Graham.
More than 260 churches are actively involved with the Uijeongbu Billy Graham Crusade with Will Graham, helping to organize and implement this historic event.
“As we look at the world around us, there is so much chaos, anxiety and fear. People are searching for peace, meaning and purpose. They want to know that they matter,” said Graham. “Jesus Christ alone holds the answer to the struggles of life. He is the source of truth, hope, peace, purpose and love. I’m coming to Uijeongbu to point to Christ and share how we can have a personal relationship with Him—not just for today, but for eternity.”
A number of Christian bands will be joining Graham for the Uijeongbu Billy Graham Crusade, including Grammy-nominated and Dove Award-winning international artist TAYA, as well as Isaiah6tyone, Heritage Mass Choir, and the Far East Broadcasting Company (FEBC) Children’s Choir.
“This Crusade will serve as a spark for a nationwide evangelism revival, transcending the boundaries of Uijeongbu to ignite a spiritual movement across all of Korea,” said Elder Hyun Kyung-Man, general secretary of the outreach. “In particular, launching this Crusade from the northern border region will establish a strategic spiritual bridgehead toward restoring a culture of solidarity and unity that moves beyond individual church centrism to re-establish the Korean church as a respected pillar of society.”
In advance of the Uijeongbu Billy Graham Crusade with Will Graham, Graham will hold the Love and Hope in Shikoku Celebration May 4-5 at the Ehime Prefectural Cultural Hall in Matsuyama City, Japan.
The Graham family and BGEA have a long and impactful history of proclaiming the Gospel in South Korea. Will’s grandfather, Billy Graham, first visited Korea in 1952 to minister to American troops and Korean people affected by the war. He returned four years later to hold his first evangelistic outreach in the nation, which took place in 1956 at Seoul Stadium. In 1973, Graham’s Crusade in Yoido Plaza became the largest in-person Crusade (3.2 million) and largest single-day outreach (1.1 million at the closing meeting) of his decades-long ministry. More than 70,000 people made commitments to Jesus Christ at the Crusade, making it a pivotal moment for Christianity in South Korea.
In 2007, Franklin Graham followed in his father’s footsteps and preached the Gospel in Busan, South Korea. He returned in 2023 to speak at FEBC’s 50th anniversary outreach, commemorating Billy Graham’s historic 1973 campaign. Will Graham also took part in the 2023 celebration, preaching to approximately 6,500 young people at SaRang Church, with thousands responding to the Gospel message.
On an organizational level, BGEA was officially registered in South Korea in 2018. Samaritan’s Purse, an affiliated ministry also led by Franklin Graham, was registered in South Korea in 2020, and officially launched their Korean office and Operation Christmas Child at that time. Later, in 2023, Samaritan’s Purse implemented the Children’s Heart Project and Korea Disaster Response ministry in the country.
Looking ahead, on Aug. 24-27, 2027, BGEA will gather approximately 2,500 Christian leaders from more than 50 countries and territories across Asia and the Pacific for the Asian-Pacific Congress on Evangelism in Sydney, Australia. For three days and in over 10 languages, pastors, evangelists and ministry leaders of all ages will come together to be encouraged, challenged and equipped to boldly take the Gospel where billions of people still do not know Jesus Christ.
To learn more about the Uijeongbu Billy Graham Crusade with Will Graham, visit ubgc.billygraham.or.kr.
About the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association:
Founded by Billy Graham in 1950, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association shares the Good News of Jesus Christ around the world. From its headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association directs a wide range of domestic and international ministries, including: large-scale outreaches led by evangelists Franklin Graham and Will Graham; the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team of crisis-trained chaplains; the Billy Graham Library; the Billy Graham Training Center at The Cove, located outside of Asheville, North Carolina; SearchforJesus.net, an internet evangelism project reaching thousands of people for Christ online; and many others through print, television, telephone, radio and the internet. For more information, please visit billygraham.org. Get news updates on X at x.com/BGEAnews.
About Will Graham:
Will Graham is the third generation of his family to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ under the banner of the BGEA. The grandson of Billy Graham and the oldest son of Franklin Graham, he has spoken to more than one million people across six continents. Graham also serves as executive vice president of the BGEA, giving leadership to all areas of the organization his grandfather founded in 1950. Follow Will on Facebook, Instagram and X.
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