Stephen Min Kuk-ka (; 1787–1840) was a Korean

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

saint. He was

martyred A martyr (, ''mártys'', 'witness' stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external party. In colloquial ...

strangulation Strangling or strangulation is compression of the neck that may lead to unconsciousness or death by causing an increasingly hypoxic state in the brain by restricting the flow of oxygen through the trachea. Fatal strangulation typically occurs ...

after refusing to deny his faith. His feast day is January 20, and he is also venerated along with the rest of the 103

Korean martyrs The Korean Martyrs were the victims of religious persecution against Catholics during the 19th century in Korea. Among them are 103 Saints and 124 Blesseds officially recognized by the Catholic Church. Overview There were 5 main sets of pers ...

on September 20. Born in 1787 in a non-Christian sect of

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

, his mother died soon after childbirth. With his brothers and father, he converted to

Catholicism The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. He married, but his wife died shortly after their wedding. A few years later, he remarried and his wife had a beautiful daughter. Both later died, leaving him alone once more. He decided to devote his life to Christ by becoming a

Catechist Catechesis (; from Greek language, Greek: , "instruction by word of mouth", generally "instruction") is basic Christian religious education of children and adults, often from a catechism book. It started as education of Conversion to Christia ...

. This was risky: He lived in an era where the Confucian government did not approve of people spreading their own faiths. After a length of time in which he converted many people, he was taken into government custody. The government beat and tortured him, trying to get him to deny his faith. He refused many times over. In 1840, he paid for his conviction when he was strangled to death.

References

Sources

* St. Stephen Min Kuk-Ka. Online. http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=5993

Bibliography

''The Lives of the 103 Martyr Saints of Korea: Min Kŭk-ka Stephen (1788-1840)''
Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea Newsletter No. 78 (Spring 2012). 1787 births 1840 deaths 19th-century Christian saints Converts to Roman Catholicism 19th-century Christian martyrs Korean Roman Catholic saints Canonizations by Pope John Paul II Joseon Christians {{Saint-stub