Jangseong Catholic Church

Overview

Jangseong Church is a church in Taebaek, Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province, belonging to the Catholic Diocese of Wonju. On August 12, 1961 it was established when the Jangseong Catholic mission chapel under Sangdong Parish was elevated to a parish, and its patron saint is Saint Joseph. The Diocese of Wonju introduces this church as the “Saint Joseph, Patron of Workers, Church” and notes that it supervises the Seokpo and Cheoram mission chapels.

History

[Beginning of evangelization and the mission-chapel era] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, evangelization in the Jangseong area began November 1947 when Father Hayward, the 9 pastor of Gangneung (present-day Imdang-dong) Parish, administered the autumn general confession in this area. The Jangseong mission chapel, formerly under Gangneung Parish, was transferred to Sangdong Parish January 1959 when the Sangdong mission chapel under Yeongwol Parish was elevated to a parish. The encyclopedia states that the Catholic presence in Jangseong grew as Father Lee Yeong-seop, then pastor of Sangdong Parish, visited the Jangseong mission chapel each month to administer the sacraments.

[Construction of the church and elevation to parish] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, to elevate the Jangseong mission chapel to a parish, construction of a church on Korea Coal Corporation land began April 1960 and a 120-pyeong church and a 32-pyeong rectory were completed November. On August 12, 1961 the Jangseong mission chapel was elevated to a parish, with Father Lee Yeong-seop appointed as first pastor, and the church blessing ceremony was held October. On March 1962 a lease agreement was signed with the Korea Coal Corporation to purchase 840 pyeong of church land, and on August the Taebaek Credit Union was founded in the parish.

[Incorporation into the Diocese of Wonju and separation of Hwangji Parish] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, a parish council was organized April 1964, and on March 1965 Jangseong Parish came to belong to the newly established Diocese of Wonju when the Diocese of Wonju was separated and erected from the Diocese of Chuncheon. On October 1966 the Hwangji mission chapel was elevated to a parish and 444 faithful were transferred to the new parish, and a convent was completed November. On February 1977 the Punggok mission chapel was transferred to Hwangji Parish, and in the same year on June a Daehyeon mission-chapel hall (24 pyeong) and a statue of the Virgin Mary were erected.

[Expansion of facilities] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, Father Sim Geun-seop, the 2 pastor, launched the parish pastoral council March 1968, and Father Choe Chang-gyu, the 3 pastor, repaired the church and built a new front retaining wall October 1969 and set an independent parish budget January 1972. Under Father Jang Seok-yun, the 9 pastor, a celebration for the 25th anniversary of the parish foundation was held September 1986, a kindergarten was founded December, additional church land of 141 pyeong was purchased September 1987, and an education hall (65 pyeong) was completed and blessed October 1988. Father Hong Rang-pyo, the 10 pastor, expanded the education hall to 2 stories (75 pyeong) October 1993 and expanded and renovated the convent May 1994 for use as the parish office and kindergarten. Father Jo Gyu-nam, the 11 pastor, repainted the church interior October 12, 1997.

[Reconstruction of the Cheoram mission chapel and relief work] According to the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, Father Park Heung-jun, the 12 pastor, rebuilt the Cheoram mission chapel, which had been vacant for 7 years, shortly after taking office March 24, 1999. From September 19, 2002, when the Cheoram mission chapel was damaged by a summer typhoon that year, all parishioners carried out the “One More Spoon” campaign, delivering rice and side dishes for 1 servings prepared during the week every Thursday to flood-affected faithful.

[Church statistics and successive pastors] The jurisdiction recorded by the Korean Catholic Encyclopedia covers Jangseong-dong, Mungok-Sodo-dong, Cheoram-dong and Gumunso-dong in Taebaek and Seokpo-myeon in Bonghwa-gun, North Gyeongsang Province, with the Seokpo and Cheoram mission chapels under its jurisdiction. Church membership was in 1967 with 828 members, in 1972 with 798 members, in 1979 with 977 members, in 1985 with 1,190 members, in 1990 with 1,610 members, in 1995 with 1,584 members, and in 2001 with 1,618 members. Successive pastors were the first Father Lee Yeong-seop, Francis Xavier (1961.8-1968.2), 2 Father Sim Geun-seop, Benedict (1968.2-1969.5), 3 Father Choe Chang-gyu, Bartholomew (1969.5-1972.5), 4 Father Kim Jong-tae, Andrew (1972.5-1973.11), 5 Father Lee Dae-sik, James (1973.11-1976.4), 6 Father Lee Heung-geun, Mark (1976.4-1979.3), 7 Father Lee Byeong-don, John Bosco (1979.3-1982.5), 8 Father Gwak Ho-in, Peter (1982.5-1985.6), 9 Father Jang Seok-yun, Pius (1985.6-1990.8), 10 Father Hong Rang-pyo, Felix (1990.8-1995.2), 11 Father Jo Gyu-nam, Gunibert (1995.2-1999.2), 12 Father Park Heung-jun, Joachim (1999.2-2003.1), and 13 Father Park Sun-sin, Francis Xavier (2003.1-).

[Current mission chapels] The Diocese of Wonju parish guide introduces this church as the “Catholic Jangseong Church, Saint Joseph, Patron of Workers, Church” and states that it has the Seokpo Mission Chapel and the Cheoram Mission Chapel as its mission chapels.

Architecture and Space

[Promotion of cultural heritage designation] On July 2026 Newsro reported that Taebaek City and the Gangwon History and Culture Research Institute would hold the “Academic Conference for the Designation of Taebaek Jangseong Church as a Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province Registered Cultural Heritage” on July 30 in the Taebaek City Hall conference room. According to the report, Jangseong Church has served as a center of faith in a mining village, helping miners and their families find emotional stability and pray for safety in Taebaek, which was a coal-industry hub in the 1960s, and is evaluated as having the longest history among the churches in the Taebaek District of the Diocese of Wonju (Jangseong, Hwangji, Gohan, Sabuk) while retaining its original architectural form relatively intact at completion.

At the conference, Father Yeo Jin-cheon (Danyang Church in the Diocese of Wonju) was announced to present “The Founding and Operation of Taebaek Jangseong Church,” Professor Choe Jong-mi of Catholic Kwandong University to present “A Study of the Architecture and Cultural Heritage Value of Taebaek Jangseong Church,” and specialist Kim Bo-ram of the Korean National Commission for UNESCO to present “Plans for the Cultural Heritage Utilization of Taebaek Jangseong Church.”

Related Places and People

• Sangdong Parish: the mother parish that supervised the Jangseong mission chapel in 1959 and elevated it to Jangseong Parish in 1961. It is now closed (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Hwangji Church: the parish separated from Jangseong Parish when the Hwangji mission chapel was elevated to a parish on October 1966 (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia).
• Seokpo Mission Chapel and Cheoram Mission Chapel: mission chapels under Jangseong Parish (Korean Catholic Encyclopedia, Diocese of Wonju).

References and Sources

1. Research Institute of Korean Church History, Korean Catholic Encyclopedia “Jangseong Parish” (vol. 10, entry under the Diocese of Wonju). Beginning of evangelization, elevation to parish, separation of Hwangji, facility expansion, church statistics, successive pastors.
   https://encyclopedia.catholic.or.kr/entry/5345
2. Catholic Diocese of Wonju, Parish “Catholic Jangseong Church” (Taebaek District). Patron Saint Joseph, Seokpo and Cheoram mission chapels.
   http://www.wjcatholic.or.kr/parish/view?ca=%ED%83%9C%EB%B0%B1%EC%A7%80%EA%B5%AC&wm_id=42
3. Newsro, “Holding the ‘Academic Conference for the Designation of Taebaek Jangseong Church as a Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province Registered Cultural Heritage’” (2026.7.28). Promotion of registered cultural heritage designation and conference presentation topics.
   https://www.newsro.kr/articles/1852650