Unkyodong Church

History & origins

The origin of Ungyo-dong Catholic Church is linked to the Korean Church’s commemorative efforts surrounding the beatification of martyrs of the Byeongin Persecution. In 1964, when dioceses were encouraged to build memorial churches for the martyr-besati, the Diocese of Chuncheon purchased the present Ungyo-dong church site in December and began preparations for construction. In 1966, the centenary of the Byeongin Persecution, a memorial church dedicated to the Korean Martyrs was established.

The parish itself was formally established on August 11, 1966. Even before that, in September 1965, about 300 households and roughly 750 Catholics transferred from Juklim-dong and Soyang-ro parishes to form the new community. Its initial territory covered many parts of central Chuncheon, including Ungyo-dong, Gyo-dong, Joyang-dong, Hyoja-dong, Okcheon-dong, Hupyeong-dong, Mancheolli, and Dohwari.

With the establishment of the parish, Sanggeolli Mission Station was also transferred from Juklim-dong Parish to Ungyo-dong. Transportation at the time was so difficult that priests could visit only once or twice a year to celebrate Mass, making pastoral care difficult; the mission station was eventually closed. The history of Ungyo-dong Parish thus combines the symbolic role of a martyr memorial church with the practical work of organizing a new parish as Catholic life expanded in urban Chuncheon.

The formation of Ungyo-dong Parish was also part of a broader reorganization of parish life in Chuncheon. Catholics transferred from Juklim-dong and Soyang-ro into the new parish, dividing an expanding urban Catholic population into new pastoral communities. At the same time, the parish inherited responsibility for a distant mission station such as Sanggeolli. The later closure of that mission station as transportation and living patterns changed shows that Ungyo-dong’s history combined the symbolic purpose of honoring the martyrs with practical changes in local pastoral organization.