Biography
John Pak Hu-jae
About John Pak Hu-jae
John Pak Hu-jae was born in Yongin in 1799 into a Catholic family. His father died during the persecution of 1801. As an adult, John helped his mother, who sold water, and supported himself by making and selling straw sandals.
The bishops’ conference account draws on his wife’s testimony about his religious life and work. When the persecution of 1839 began, he sold a household pot and divided the money with her. He asked her to stay with an aunt; she learned the following day that he had been arrested.
In prison, John encouraged other Catholics and invited other inmates to learn about the faith. He refused to abandon his religion despite severe punishment at the police and criminal courts.
He was executed outside Seoul’s Small West Gate on September 3, 1839, with five other Catholics.
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