Biography
Augustine Pak Chong-won
About Augustine Pak Chong-won
Augustine Pak Chong-won was born in Seoul in 1793. After losing his father, he lived in poverty and worked as an intermediary at a medicine shop. He practiced Catholicism with his mother, taught others and baptized children in danger of death. He married Barbara Ko Sun-i, and they had three children.
Pacificus Yu sent him to teach Catholics in the Naepo region. Bishop Laurence Imbert later appointed him a catechist.
During the persecution of 1839, Augustine continued caring for Catholics, including those imprisoned. He was arrested in October and refused to abandon his faith despite severe punishment.
He and Barbara encouraged one another in prison. After Barbara’s execution in December 1839, Augustine was executed at Tang-kogae near Seoul on January 31, 1840.
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