Umyeondong Catholic Church

Overview

Umyeon-dong Church is a parish in Seocho District No. 12 in the West Seoul Region of the Archdiocese of Seoul, located in Umyeon-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul. It was established on June 1, 2001, and its patron is the Holy Family. It is a church built low and on a small scale inside a development restriction area, and since November 2024 its site has been included in the Seoripul 2 public housing district plan, so its retention is under discussion.

History

[Foundation and early church] The foundation date in the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea online directory is June 1, 2001, and the list of past pastors on the parish website also records the tenure of the first pastor, Timoteo Jeong Yeon-jeong, as beginning on June 1, 2001. According to a Hankyoreh article, the church was built of red brick at the southern foot of Mount Umyeon, and because it is in a development restriction area subject to height limits, a house dating to 2000 was remodeled in an eco-friendly manner, so its scale is small and its spire is low. The church appeared as a wedding venue in the film ‘Everybody Has Secrets’ (2004), and its yard is said to be about 992 square meters (300 pyeong).

[Church expansion and facilities] The parish website history notes the purchase of a nearby house for new church construction on June 7, 2012 (28.55 hundred million) and the completion of the church renovation and expansion on November 24. On October 28, 2010, 14 Stations of the Cross were installed and a Jesus Garden was created, and on December 9, 2018 the Holy Family Education Center was blessed. On June 7, 2020, a statue of the Virgin Mary whose rear was damaged was replaced with a statue of the Virgin and Child; this statue is recorded as 180 cm tall, made of Bianco Carrara marble and produced over 5 months by Cardello Marmi in Italy, while the former statue of the Virgin was moved to the education center lobby.

[Milestones of parish activity] The history records the founding of the youth choir (Stella Choir) on November 5, 2006, the establishment of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in November 2010, the opening of a seniors’ college (Areum Academy) on March 14, 2012 and a Korean literacy school for seniors on April 22, and an India service camp in 2013 (led by the pastor). John the Baptist Ham Seung-su took office as the first assistant pastor on February 18, 2014, Raphael Eom Ik-je was ordained deacon on February 7, 2016 and then ordained priest on February 3, 2017. Masses were fully suspended from March 1, 2020 to April 30, 2020 because of COVID-19, and from December 8 all Masses began to be held online. At the Confirmation celebrated by Auxiliary Bishop Job Koo Yobi on July 28, 2024, 63 people received Confirmation.

[Past pastors] The pastors listed in ‘Introduction of Priests’ on the parish website are the first Timoteo Jeong Yeon-jeong (June 1, 2001–February 14, 2005), the 2th Gregorio Han Sang-ho (February 15, 2005–February 22, 2010), the 3th Pedro Baek Gwang-jin (February 23, 2010–February 16, 2015), the 4th Andrea Kim Nam-gil Dae-geon (February 17, 2015–February 11, 2019), and the 5th John the Apostle Byeon U-chan (February 11, 2019–February 13, 2024); the current pastor is Stefano Baek Un-cheol, who took office on February 13, 2024. Father Baek Un-cheol was ordained in 1985, studied for a doctorate in biblical theology at the Catholic University of Paris, and served as professor of New Testament at the Catholic University theology faculty and as dean and vice president. Assistant pastor Joseph Park Min-ho took office on September 2, 2025.

[Seoripul 2 district plan and discussion of retaining the church] The parish website explains that the Seoripul public housing plan announced by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the City of Seoul on November 5, 2024 includes the church and nearby Songdong Village and Sigyu Village. The parish offers a prayer for cancellation of the public housing designation after every Mass, and the history records that 1,505 people signed the parishioners’ signature campaign. On January 12, 2025, over 100 parishioners, residents, politicians and the district mayor gathered, agreed to work together to exclude the church and the two villages from the public housing complex, and formed a response committee. For three weeks from March 30, they visited 10 parishes in Seocho 12 District and received 7,605 signatures. According to the Catholic Times, on October 1, 2025 over 200 parishioners and residents held a statement presentation and pilgrimage prayer meeting around the Seocho Sports Complex and the church, and over 9,400 clergy, religious and faithful from 11 parishes in 12 District of the Archdiocese of Seoul and religious orders signed the statement. The same article reports that the Seoul Metropolitan Council passed the retention petition on March 7 with 69 votes in favor out of 70 members.

[District designation and subsequent developments] The 2026 pastoral goals on the parish website state that the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport replied on December 22, 2025 that it would first designate the district and then carefully review whether retaining the church and villages is legally valid. According to Yonhap News Agency, on June 11, 2026 the Ministry announced the designation of 19 ten thousand 3 thousand 259 square meters in the Umyeon-dong area (about 5 ten thousand 8 thousand pyeong) as the ‘Seoul Seoripul 2 Public Housing District’ and the supply of 2 thousand public housing units with the aim of starting construction in 2028. The same article reports that residents of Songdong Village and Sigyu Village and parishioners of Umyeon-dong Church submitted retention petitions to the Presidential Office, the Ministry, the City of Seoul and Seocho-gu on June 9, and that they claim the area containing the church and the two villages is 1.88% of the total Seoripul district area. According to Daehan Economic, at the 2th ‘Seoul Seoripul 2 Public Housing District Development Issues Council’ held on September 22, the possibility of development preserving the church and villages was discussed, and the Ministry explained that pursuing the original plan is the basic policy but no final position has been decided. The committee states that heads of households and owners of 73 of 76 households including the church (96%) demand preservation.

Jurisdiction and affiliation

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea online directory lists the affiliated diocese as the Archdiocese of Seoul, the region and district as West Seoul Region, Seocho District No. 12, the foundation date as 2001.06.01, the patron as the Holy Family, 4,151 parishioners, and 0 Catholic mission chapels.

Related places and people

• Songdong Village and Sigyu Village: nearby villages included with Umyeon-dong Church in the Seoripul 2 district plan.
• Seoripul 2 Public Housing District: the project district whose designation the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on June 11, 2026.
• Father Stefano Baek Un-cheol: the current pastor who took office in February 2024.
• Father Timoteo Jeong Yeon-jeong: the first pastor.

References and sources

1. Umyeon-dong Church, ‘Parish Introduction’ (2026 parish pastoral goals and church history). Yearly history and Seoripul 2 district response progress.
   https://umyeon.or.kr/18
2. Umyeon-dong Church, ‘Introduction of Priests’. Tenures of past pastors and current pastor and assistant pastor.
   https://umyeon.or.kr/21
3. Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea online directory, ‘Umyeon-dong’. Affiliated diocese and district, foundation date 2001.06.01, patron, number of parishioners.
   https://directory.cbck.or.kr/OnlineAddress/Catholic/DetailInfo.aspx?cgubn=c&char=all&code=201000196&gubn=4&gubn2=all&gyogu=201000011
4. Catholic Times, ‘Seoul Archdiocese Umyeon-dong Parish: Seoripul 2 district development violates religious freedom’ (2025.10.19, No. 3462). October 1, 2025 statement and pilgrimage prayer, council petition passage, 12 district signatures.
   https://www.catholictimes.org/article/20251013500139
5. Yonhap News Agency, ‘Ministry designates Seoripul 2 public housing district in Seocho, supplying 2 thousand units’ (2026.6.11). District designation and residents’ retention petition.
   https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20260610120300003
6. Daehan Economic, ‘Seoripul 2 district: opening through alternative development’ (2026.10.1). 2th development issues council and Ministry position.
   https://www.cnews.co.kr/uhtml/view.jsp?idxno=202609291018511370684
7. Hankyoreh, ‘Even the church faces forced expropriation under Seoripul development: cannot sleep’ (2025.7.21). Church construction method, scale and yard area.
   https://www.hani.co.kr/arti/society/religious/1201753.html