Eastern_Orthodoxy_in_North_Korea

Church of the Life-Giving Trinity (Pyongyang)

Church of the Life-Giving Trinity (Pyongyang)

Church in Pyongyang, North Korea

The Church of the Life-Giving Trinity (Korean: 평양정백사원) is an Eastern Orthodox church in Jongbaek-dong, Rangrang District in Pyongyang, North Korea.[1] It is the first and only Orthodox church in the country, and one of only a handful of Christian churches there overall.

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History

Kim Jong-il reportedly wanted to construct an Eastern Orthodox church in North Korea after a trip to the Russian Far East in 2002.[2] Kim had visited the St. Innocent of Irkutsk Church in Khabarovsk on 22 August and admired its architecture and Russian Orthodox rites.[3] A Russian diplomat asked Kim Jong-il whether there were any Orthodox believers in Pyongyang, and Kim replied that believers would be found.[4]

There were no Eastern Orthodox priests in the country, so the Korean Orthodox Committee [nl] established in 2002[5] contacted the Russian Orthodox Church.[6] The committee sent four students to the Moscow Ecclesiastical Seminary in April 2003.[3][1] All four were freshly baptized Christians who had formerly worked for the North Korean intelligence service. One of them, Feodor Kim (Kim Hoe-il),[7][3] said it was difficult for them to adopt the Orthodox faith. After the seminary, they were dispatched to Vladivostok to gain practical experience.[7]

The groundbreaking ceremony was held on 24 June 2003.[3] The church was dedicated on 13 August 2006 in the presence of Russian religious and political leaders.[8]: xlix 

Worship

The church is presided over by rector Feodor Kim (Kim Hoe-il) and deacon John Ra (Ra Gwan-chol), graduates of the theological seminary in Moscow.[3]

The church has a parish of its own and is under the Patriarchate of Moscow and All Russia.[3] However, the Korean Orthodox Church claims Eastern Orthodox Church in North Korea are part of the Korean Orthodox Church.[9]

The shrine is consecrated with a relic of Sergius of Rakvere [ru]. The church also has a Holy Trinity Icon.[10]

Very few locals attend.[8]: 323 

See also

References

  1. [1]
    Do Kyung-ok; Kim Soo-Am; Han Dong-ho; Lee Keum-Soon; Hong Min (24 September 2015). White Paper on Human Rights in North Korea 2015. Korea Institute for National Unification(South Korea). p. 221. ISBN 978-89-8479-802-1.
  2. [2]
    Institute for Unification Education, Ministry of Unification (South Korea) (30 January 2015). Understanding North Korea: Totalitarian dictatorship, Highly centralized economies, Grand Socialist Family. 길잡이미디어. pp. 389–. GGKEY:Q35FXTAE44S.
  3. [3]
    "Orthodox Church of the Live-Giving Trinity in Pyongyang". Embassy of Russia to the DPRK. Archived from the original on 4 August 2016. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
  4. [4]
    Lankov, Andrei (9 September 2013). "North Korea's irreconcilable relationship with Christianity". NK News. Archived from the original on 30 August 2019. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
  5. [5]
    AsiaNews.it. "Pyongyang: Orthodox community subject to authority of Alexei II". asianews.it. Archived from the original on 25 March 2016. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
  6. [6]
    Burdick, Eddie (26 May 2010). Three Days in the Hermit Kingdom: An American Visits North Korea. Jefferson: McFarland. p. 181. ISBN 978-0-7864-5653-6.
  7. [7]
    "Kim Jong-Il and Religion: North Korea Builds an Orthodox Church". Spiegel Online. 11 August 2006. Archived from the original on 8 March 2016. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  8. [8]
    Hoare, James E. (13 July 2012). Historical Dictionary of Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Lanham: Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-6151-0.[permanent dead link]
  9. [9]
    Presvytera Theodoti (26 August 2017). 암브로시오스 한국의 대주교 : “위험에 처한 것은 제가 아니고, 그리스도의 교회입니다.”. Orthodox Metropolis of Korea 한국정교회 대교구 (in Korean). Archived from the original on 25 October 2018. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
  10. [10]
    "The church of the Life-Giving Trinity consecrated in Pyongyang. The Russian Orthodox Church delegation on a visit to the KPDR". orthodox.cn. 14 August 2006. Archived from the original on 24 July 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
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