Biography
Theresa Kim
About Theresa Kim
Theresa Kim came from a Catholic family in Chungcheong Province. She was the daughter of Andrew Kim Chong-han and a relative of Andrew Kim Tae-gon. She married Joseph Son and raised their children in Catholicism.
The bishops’ conference biography gives her birth year as 1797.
The Korean encyclopedia instead gives 1779.
After her husband’s death, she continued practicing her religion in poverty. She went to Seoul to help care for Pacificus Yu’s household with Elisabeth Chong Chong-hye and later helped Bishop Laurence Imbert.
Theresa was arrested in July 1839. She refused to abandon her faith or reveal the whereabouts of missionaries and fellow Catholics.
In prison, she encouraged the young Agatha Yi, daughter of Augustine Yi Kwang-hon. The encyclopedia dates their deaths by strangulation to January 9, 1840.
Wondering how to weigh the stories and sources? Learn how to read a saint biography.