[English Subtitle Ver.] Documentary〈DeCamp〉

This documentary highlights E. Otto DeCamp (1911–2001, hereafter “DeCamp”), a missionary and journalist who loved Korea and played a pivotal role in establishing Korea’s Christian Broadcasting System (CBS).

From imprisonment under Japanese rule to the streets of the April 19 Revolution, from a modest station in Jongno to his final return to America—DeCamp’s life was a remarkable journey of faith, struggle, and conviction.

Born in 1911 in Hongpa-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, as the son of an American missionary, DeCamp returned to Korea in 1938 as a missionary of the Northern Presbyterian Church after ordination in the U.S. In January 1941, during Japan’s forced Shinto shrine worship, DeCamp removed a household Shinto altar (kamidana) from the home of a Korean believer. He was arrested and imprisoned in Seodaemun Prison as a political offender.

In court, DeCamp testified, “I removed it myself so that Koreans would not suffer any harm.” His arrest triggered diplomatic action from the U.S. Embassy and State Department. In July 1941, the Gyeongseong High Court sentenced him to ten months of hard labor with two years’ probation, and he was deported.

Although Korea had once brought him suffering, DeCamp longed to return. In 1948, he did—appointed to lead efforts by the American Church and Korea’s National Council of Churches (NCCK) to establish a radio station. When war broke out, equipment was stranded in Japan, and DeCamp turned to refugee relief. Finally, on December 15, 1954, at 6 p.m., from the fifth-floor studio of the Christian Literature Society in Jongno 2-ga, HLKY—Korea’s first private station, CBS—began broadcasting.

As founding station director (now “president”), DeCamp said, “Even if an angel holds the microphone, it is in vain if no one listens.” He wanted CBS to reach the 90% of Koreans outside the church. CBS imported American LPs, aired classical music, and produced hit dramas like Crystal Tower and Until This Life Ends, attracting a largely non-Christian audience. Competing with state-run KBS, CBS helped usher in the 1950s “Golden Age of Radio.”

During the April 19 Revolution against the March 15 rigged election in 1960, CBS broadcast live from its rooftop in Jongno 2-ga. Citizens seeking truthful reporting turned to CBS over the government-aligned KBS. CBS suspended its regular programming and went all-in on special coverage. DeCamp and top executives stayed overnight to supervise news. He later recalled, “CBS’s popularity soared during the April Revolution. People believed we’d tell the truth because we were a Christian broadcaster.”

"I’ve Done What I Could"

In 1968, under pressure from the Park Chung-hee regime, DeCamp was removed from his post. His outspoken truth-telling made him inconvenient to the government. But CBS, grounded in “Christian journalism in pursuit of truth,” carried on. Through the 1970s, it aligned with pro-democracy and human rights movements, notably around the Christian Center in Jongno 5-ga.

In May 1976, after 49 years in Korea, DeCamp departed. At Gimpo Airport, his son Jim asked how he felt. Jim recalls his father's quiet reply: “Jim, I have simply done what I could.” These were DeCamp’s final words to Korea.

Backed by ten media scholars and church historians, DeCamp draws on letters, U.S. State Department files, articles, and CBS business reports from the 1960s, lending depth and credibility.

DeCamp’s story is more than a personal journey—it is a sweeping chronicle of Korea’s missionary legacy, broadcasting evolution, and democratic movements. The film explores church responses during colonial rule, the post-liberation broadcast mission, and the role of Christian media in Korea’s democracy movement.