Duck Joo Lee
Founder
After the Korean War, Korea was one of the poorest countries in the world, with about 70% of its population living in poverty. During this time, Dr. Koh Hwangkyung, who had studied abroad in the U.S., returned to Korea and recognized the need for Korean rural women’s education and established Seoul Women’s University..
Missionary Lee was deeply moved when she attended a lecture by Dr. Koh, who visited Seoul and emphasized the importance of agriculture. From that moment, she decided to dedicate her life to this cause. While attending university, she developed technical skills and a pioneering spirit, which she later applied as she worked directly on farms and taught others agricultural practices. During this time, she also encountered the teachings of Christ and experienced a profound spiritual awakening, which later shaped her missionary calling.
In pursuit of her mission, she completed a master’s degree in agricultural economics at Korea University and taught at Seoul Women’s University. She also supported her husband’s work as he served as a missionary and was actively involved in farming ministry.
Her husband also had a vision for rural development ministry since his college days, and the couple currently serve together as valuable missionaries.
Currently, Missionary Lee resides in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, serving as a missionary under the Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) and has been a Sunday school teacher for over 15 years. She is also a member of the Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) Synod, where she contributes her valuable experience as one of the few female missionaries. She completed missionary training at PGM (Presbyterian General Mission) and was officially commissioned as a missionary in 2007.
Together with her husband, she has been involved in agricultural development missions in Guatemala, teaching ESL (English as a Second Language) and agricultural techniques to university students and local leaders. They are continuing their work in rural development and leadership training for sustainable missions.