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Samuel Chang Jae-on | |
|---|---|
| President of the Korean Catholic Association | |
| In office 1988–present | |
| Former President of the North Korean Red Cross | |
| President of the North Korean Council of Religionists | |
| Representative of North Korean Catholics in inter-Korean exchanges | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | North Korea |
| Party | Worker's Party of Korea |
| Occupation | Catholic official, religious diplomat |
| Known for | Leading the state-recognized Catholic Church of North Korea |
Samuel Chang Jae on is a Catholic official and the President of the Korean Catholic Association, a state-recognized Catholic body based in North Korea since it's founding year in 1988.[1]
Career
[edit]Samuel Chang Jae-on is associated with different religious and humanitarian roles in North Korea:
President of Korean Catholic Association (KCA)
[edit]As the first and current head of KCA, Chang Jae-on was the highest Catholic authority in the DPRK, effectively serving as the face of the Catholics in North Korea with the rest of the world.
Samuel Chang Jae-on, as the President of the Korean Catholics Association handed over an unprecedented written appeal to the Catholic Bishops´ Conference of Korea requesting South Korea´s bishops to refocus aid to the North on long-term assistance for agricultural production, especially electric power, instead of emergency food aid in 1998.[2][3]
He invited Auxiliary Bishop Peter Kang Woo-il of Seoul to visit North Korea, according to an official of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea in 2000.[4]
He sent condolences on Pope John Paul II as the President of Korean Catholic Association.[5]
After hearing the bad news, I express my deepest condolences. It is with great sorrow that all Catholic believers in our country are conducting mass in memory of John Paul II. Services are being held in Pyongyang's Changchung Cathedral and in places of worship around the country.[5]
In 2014, He declined to send North Korean Catholics to attend Pope Francis's mass in Seoul, South Korea due to the start of joint U.S.-South Korean military drills occurring at the same time.[6]
President of North Korean Red Cross
[edit]He also functioned as president of the Red Cross in the DPRK, which has relevance for the humanitarian and mediating role between the South and the North.[3] As the President of the North Korean Red Cross, He led 100 North Koreans to meet their separated families in South Korea in 2000.[7]
President of the North Korean Council of Religionists
[edit]He represented religious organizations in North Korea which comprises Korean Christian Federation, Korea Buddhist Federation, etc.[7]
Representative of North Korean Catholics in inter-Korean exchanges
[edit]He also served as an important liaison for North Korean Catholics in relation to South Korea and worldwide Catholic institutions. He visited Seoul in 2000 and led 16 North Korean Catholics at a mass in March 2.[8][9]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Hamhung Diocese: History, Population, Geography, Statistics | UCA News - UCA News". ucanews.com. Retrieved 2026-01-24.
- ^ "north korea catholic church asks southern church for longterm aid". ucanews.com. Retrieved 2026-01-22.
- ^ a b "south korea catholics continue to send food aid to north". ucanews.com. Retrieved 2026-01-24.
- ^ "North Korean Catholic Association Promises To Invite Seoul Bishop". www.katolsk.no (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 2026-01-22.
- ^ a b AsiaNews.it. "North Korea sends condolences for Pope's death". www.asianews.it. Retrieved 2026-01-22.
- ^ AFP (2014-08-06). "North Korea rejects offer to attend mass given by Pope Francis in Seoul". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2026-01-22.
- ^ a b "North Korean Catholic Leader Visits Seoul, Fails To Meet Church Heads". www.katolsk.no (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 2026-01-22.
- ^ Staff, ZENIT (2003-03-13). "North Korean Catholics Celebrate Their First Official Mass in Seoul - ZENIT - English". ZENIT - English (in European Spanish). Archived from the original on 2025-07-15. Retrieved 2026-01-22.
- ^ "Privés d'eucharistie depuis la partition du pays – Portail catholique suisse". cath.ch (in French). Retrieved 2026-01-23.