Biography
Paul Hong Yong-ju
About Paul Hong Yong-ju
Paul Hong Yong-ju was the younger brother of Peter Hong Pyong-ju and a grandson of Luke Hong Nak-min. After their grandfather was executed in the persecution of 1801, their father moved to Yeosaul in Yesan. Paul grew up in a Catholic family.
After French missionaries entered Korea, Paul and Peter were appointed catechists. They instructed Catholics, introduced others to the faith and helped people in need. During the persecution of 1839, they sheltered missionaries. The encyclopedia attributes their arrest in August to a denunciation that disclosed this refuge.
The brothers were taken to Seoul and subjected to severe punishment. They refused to identify other Catholics or abandon their religion. The bishops’ conference account describes fellow prisoners urging them to give up their faith.
Paul was executed at Tang-kogae on February 1, 1840.
Peter had been executed the previous day.
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