Cardinal Nicholas Cheong Jin-suk, left, and Bishop Andrew Yeom Soo-jung hold hands at Myeongdong Cathedral, Thursday, in celebration of the Vatican's appointment of Yeom as the new archbishop of Seoul. / Korea Times photo by Hong In-ki

By Do Je-hae

The Vatican announced the appointment of Bishop Andrew Yeom Soo-jung as the new archbishop of Seoul, Thursday. The 69-year-old is a native of Anseong, Gyeonggi Provice. He succeeds Cardinal Nicholas Cheong Jin-suk.

Born to a devout Catholic family, Yeom is the third among six siblings. His great-great grandfather Peter Yeom Seok-tae was martyred in 1850 during the early days of the Catholic Church in Korea. His two younger siblings are also in the service of the Catholic Church.

Cheong, the archbishop of Seoul, is scheduled to retire from the top post next month.

In 2006, he submitted his resignation to the Vatican when he was 75 years old, the retirement age for archbishops.

Cheong has served as the archbishop of Seoul for 14 years since May 1998, when he was appointed to the post following the late Cardinal Kim Sou-hwan (1922-2009).

The Seoul Archdiocese plans to hold an inaugural ceremony for the new archbishop on June 25. Cheong will fulfill his duties as archbishop until that time.