국군중앙 주교좌 성당

History & origins

The site of the Armed Forces Central Cathedral at Waegogae in Yongsan is associated with nine martyrs whose remains were buried there for many years after executions at Saenamteo and outside Seosomun during the Byeongin Persecution. The body of Saint Andrew Kim Tae-gon, Korea’s first priest, was also kept here briefly after his martyrdom in 1846 before being moved to Mirinae. The cathedral site is therefore both the center of the Military Ordinariate and the Catholic shrine of Waegogae.

Church directory records give June 30, 1989 as the parish’s establishment date, and the ordinariate chancery and cathedral now share the site. In December 2013 the Military Ordinariate renewed and blessed the shrine with a martyrs’ memorial, a large cross, Stations of the Cross, and prayer spaces. The cathedral consequently serves both as the episcopal church for Catholics in the armed forces and as a place of pilgrimage honoring Korea’s martyrs.