No. of Koreans with Catholic priesthood reaches 6,000

More than 6,000 native Koreans have joined the Roman Catholic priesthood so far, according to local Catholic officials Tuesday.

The Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea said in its newly published 2017 directory that the number of ordained priests stood at 6,021 as of Sept. 30, 2016.

The list includes Father Andrea Kim, the first native Korean Catholic priest and martyr, better known by his birthname Kim Dae-geon, all the way to Father Ji Kwang-kyu, who received his priesthood in September of last year.

Among those, 5,021 were still active in their practice. A total of 560 have passed away while 440 returned to their former secular lives. (Yonhap)