Andrew Kim Taegon

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Andrew Kim Taegon (1821–1846) was a Korean, a convert to the faith, on fire for Jesus, a Catholic priest, and a martyr.

 


 

It was the era of the Joseon Dynasty in Korea. The Christian faith was suppressed.

Despite that, Christian laypeople brought the faith into Korea. They practiced in secret. If discovered, they were persecuted and executed.

The parents of Andrew Kim Taegon had converted to the Christian faith. For that, his father was executed.

Andrew Kim Taegon (1821–1846) was baptized at age 15. He was sent to China and the Philippines for nine years of theological studies.

Then he was ordained the first Korean Catholic priest. Ever.

Immediately, he returned to his native Korea and began preaching and evangelizing.

Less than a year later, at the age of 25, young Kim was arrested.

Near Seoul, on the Han River, he was tortured for the faith. And then beheaded.

 

It is hard for most of us to envision the courage of those early Christians in Korea. There were no lukewarm believers. There was no obligation mindset.

They were on fire for Jesus Christ. They were fully prepared to be hunted down and imprisoned, tortured and executed.

If you want to read about courageous heroes of the faith, we suggest reading about the Christians of East Asia.

The Memorial of Andrew Kim Taegon is observed each year on September 16.

 


Unless otherwise noted, all Bible quotations on this page are from the World English Bible and the World Messianic Edition. These translations have no copyright restrictions. They are in the Public Domain.