Letters of Korea's first Catholic priest published in English
Cover image of the book “The Letters of Saint Andrew Kim Dae-geon” Courtesy of Research Foundation of Korean Church History By Park Ji-wonMarking the 200th anniversary of the birth of Saint Andrew Kim Dae-geon (1821-46), the Research Foundation of Korean Church History under the Archdiocese of Seoul has published an English translation of “The Letters of Saint Andrew Kim Dae-geon,” one of the three memorial books on his activities as an important early figure in the Catholic Church in Korea.“He was such a strong and interesting person. He was even cool with his execution. He scolded the executioner to cut his head well. There are so many interesting and inspiring episodes in this historic letters,” Rev. Cho Han-gun, director of the foundation, told The Korea Times Wednesday. Records show that Kim, Korea's first Catholic priest, wrote up to 21 letters dating from February 1842 to August 1846 when he tried to return to Korea from Macao where he had attended a seminary
