Saint Joseph Han Wŏn-sŏ

Joseph Han Won-so (Korean: 한재권 요셉) (born 1836 in Chungcheong Province, Korea; died December 13, 1866, in Jeonju, Korea) was a Korean catechist, martyr, and saint of the Catholic Church. He was born in Chungcheong Province. During the anti-Catholic persecutions in Korea, he was arrested on December 3, 1866, and imprisoned in Jeonju. There, torturers attempted to force him to renounce his faith. His father, who was not a Catholic, also tried to persuade him to apostatize, asking the governor to release his son and attempting to secure his freedom through bribery. These efforts were unsuccessful. Joseph Han Won-so was beheaded on December 13, 1866, along with five other Catholics: Peter Cho Hwa-so, Peter Son Son-ji, Bartholomew Chong Mun-ho, Peter Yi Myong-so, and Peter Chong Won-ji. He is commemorated on the anniversary of his death and on September 20 as part of the group of 103 Korean Martyrs. He was beatified on October 6, 1968, by Pope Paul VI and canonized on May 6, 1984, in Seoul by Pope John Paul II as one of the 103 Korean Martyrs.