Biography
Agatha Kwon Chin-i
About Agatha Kwon Chin-i
Agatha Kwon Chin-i was born in Seoul, the daughter of Magdalena Han Yong-i. She married while young, but because her husband lacked a home she stayed with relatives.
She later worked in the household of Pacificus Yu. According to the bishops’ conference biography, reports about their relationship caused controversy within the Catholic community. The account connects Pacificus’s departure with this controversy and records that Maubant advised Agatha to return to her mother. These are received historical accounts, not independently inspected testimony establishing the nature of the relationship.
During the persecution of 1839, Agatha was arrested with her mother, Agatha Yi Kyong-i and a servant. The younger women were held separately from Magdalena. Agatha Kwon escaped with help from policemen but was recaptured.
She refused to deny her faith despite severe punishment and met her mother in prison. After Magdalena’s execution in December 1839, Agatha was executed at Tang-kogae near Seoul on January 31, 1840.
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