Pres. Hinckley's visit to S. Korea is delayed

SEOUL, South Korea — A travel mishap prevented President Gordon B. Hinckley of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from attending the church's cultural event in South Korea Saturday night.

Elder Won Yong Ko of the church's Quorum of the Seventy and a member of the Asia North Area presidency of the church made the announcement to the performers and audience in the Olympics Gymnasium No. 1 just before the show was scheduled to begin. He said President Hinckley's son, Elder Richard G. Hinckley of the Quorum of Seventy, was injured during the flight to Seoul, requiring the jet to return him to the United States.

Elder Ko said that President Hinckley still planned to arrive in Seoul in time for a regional conference meeting this morning.

Church spokesman Dale Bills confirmed Elder Hinckley had suffered an injury, and though he did not go into detail about the injury, he said it was not serious.

"Due caution required that Elder Hinckley be flown back to Anchorage, Alaska, for medical attention, and he will be returning to Salt Lake City for further treatment," Bills said. "President Hinckley will continue his previously announced travel plans with only minor adjustments to his itinerary."

Also Saturday, the LDS Church broke ground for a temple in Rexburg, Idaho, the next step toward construction of the Gem State's third temple. Thousands gathered for the groundbreaking of the Rexburg Idaho Temple located at Second East and Seventh South. Elder John H. Groberg of the Seventy, recently named president of the Idaho Falls Idaho Temple, presided.

In Seoul, the evening of colorful cultural presentations went as planned without the guest of honor — except for a few changes in the script. Asia North Area President Yoshihiko Kikuchi of the Seventy, accompanied by his counselors, Elder William R. Walker and Elder Ko, presided over the event in President Hinckley's absence.

The event was part of the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the dedication of Korea for the preaching of the gospel by President Joseph Fielding Smith, then president of the Quorum of the Twelve, on Aug. 2, 1955. The South Korean church members also were commemorating the 200th anniversary of the birth of church founder Joseph Smith.

More than 1,500 adults, teens and children performed during the cultural show, according to Elder Ko. He said they represented all the areas of the church throughout South Korea. An audience of more than 5,000 attended.

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E-mail: ghill@desnews.com

Contributing: KSL-TV