Saint John Yi Mun-u

Saint John Yi Mun-u (1810 in Incheon, Korea – February 1, 1840, in Tangkogae, now part of Seoul) was a saint of the Catholic Church and a martyr. John Yi Mun-u was born in Incheon, Gyeonggi Province, into a noble Catholic family. He lost his parents at the age of five and was adopted by a devout Catholic woman who took him to Seoul. After the death of his wife and two children, he decided to dedicate himself to charitable work and assisting missionaries. He accompanied Father Pierre Maubant on his missionary journeys. During the persecution of Catholics in Korea in 1839, he assisted imprisoned fellow believers and helped hide missionaries. At the risk of his life, he buried the martyred missionaries Bishop Imbert, Maubant, and Chastan. Although he planned to escape, he was arrested on November 10, 1839. Authorities attempted to force him to renounce his faith through both torture and lenient treatment. On February 1, 1840, he was beheaded along with two other Catholics, Paul Hong Yŏng-ju and Barbara Ch’oe Yŏng-i, at Tangkogae near Seoul. His feast day is September 20 (as part of the group of 103 Korean Martyrs). He was beatified on July 5, 1925, by Pope Pius XI and canonized on May 6, 1984, by Pope John Paul II as one of the 103 Korean Martyrs.