Saint Joseph Im Ch'i-p'ek

Joseph Im Ch’i-p’ek (Korean: 임치백 요셉; born 1804 in Korea, died September 20, 1846, in a Seoul prison) was a Korean martyr and a saint of the Catholic Church. Im Ch’i-p’ek was born in a small village near Seoul. He attended a traditional Korean school for 10 years, where he studied Chinese literature, before turning to trade. Although his wife and children were baptized, Im Ch’i-p’ek initially intended to be baptized later. Nevertheless, he was sympathetic toward Catholics and did not fear being identified as one, which was dangerous in Korea at the time. In 1835, he volunteered for the police force to help Catholics who had been arrested during persecutions. In 1846, one of his sons accompanied Father Andrew Kim Tae-gŏn on a journey and was arrested with him on June 5. Upon hearing the news, Im Ch’i-p’ek went to the place of his son's imprisonment and petitioned the governor for his release. The governor refused the request and ordered Im Ch’i-p’ek to be imprisoned as well. In prison, he met Andrew Kim Tae-gŏn, who made such a strong impression on him that Im Ch’i-p’ek decided to be baptized, taking the name Joseph. Friends attempted to save him by urging him to renounce his faith, even bringing his sons to the prison in hopes they could persuade him. Because Joseph Im Ch’i-p’ek refused to renounce his faith, he was subjected to torture. After three months of imprisonment, he was sentenced to death and was executed by strangulation on September 20, 1846. He is commemorated on the anniversary of his death. 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.