Church of the Life-Giving Trinity (Pyongyang) explained

Church of the Life-Giving Trinity
Pushpin Map:Pyongyang
Coordinates:38.9818°N 125.7457°W
Location:Jongbaek-dong, Rangrang District, Pyongyang
Country:North Korea
Denomination:Russian Orthodox Church
Dedication:Holy Trinity
Status:Parish church
Functional Status:Active
Parish:Trinity Parish
Division:Patriarchate of Moscow and All Russia
Rector:Feodor Kim (Kim Hoe-il)
Deacon:John Ra (Ra Gwan-chol)
Rr:Pyeongyang Jeongbaeng Sawon
Mr:P'yŏngyang Chŏngbaeng Sawŏn
Context:north

The Church of the Life-Giving Trinity is a Russian 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.

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, established in North Korea in 2002, contacted the Russian Orthodox Church.[5] [6] The committee sent four students to the Moscow Ecclesiastical Seminary in April 2003.[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), 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]

When the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, made an official visit to Pyongyang in 2024, he visited the church and participated in a brief liturgy.[9]

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] Very few locals attend the church.

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 that the Eastern Orthodox Church in North Korea is part of its jurisdiction.[10]

The shrine is consecrated with a relic of . The church also has a Holy Trinity Icon.[11]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Do Kyung-ok. Kim Soo-Am. Han Dong-ho. Lee Keum-Soon. Hong Min. Korea Institute for National Unification(South Korea). White Paper on Human Rights in North Korea 2015. 24 September 2015. 978-89-8479-802-1. 221.
  2. Book: Institute for Unification Education, Ministry of Unification (South Korea). Understanding North Korea: Totalitarian dictatorship, Highly centralized economies, Grand Socialist Family. 30 January 2015. 길잡이미디어. 389–. GGKEY:Q35FXTAE44S.
  3. Web site: Orthodox Church of the Live-Giving Trinity in Pyongyang . Embassy of Russia to the DPRK . 1 March 2016 . 4 August 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160804195414/http://rusembdprk.ru/en/russia-and-dprk/orthodox-church-in-pyongyang . live .
  4. Web site: North Korea's irreconcilable relationship with Christianity. Andrei. Lankov. NK News. 9 September 2013. 2 June 2018. 30 August 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190830080326/https://www.nknews.org/2013/09/north-koreas-irreconcilable-relationship-with-christianity/. live.
  5. Book: Burdick, Eddie. Three Days in the Hermit Kingdom: An American Visits North Korea. 26 May 2010. McFarland. Jefferson. 978-0-7864-5653-6. 181.
  6. Web site: Pyongyang: Orthodox community subject to authority of Alexei II . AsiaNews.it . asianews.it . 5 March 2016 . 25 March 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160325214602/http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Pyongyang:-Orthodox-community-subject-to-authority-of-Alexei-II-6742.html . live .
  7. Web site: Kim Jong-Il and Religion: North Korea Builds an Orthodox Church . Spiegel Online . 11 August 2006 . 20 November 2016 . 8 March 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160308061608/http://www.spiegel.de/international/kim-jong-il-and-religion-north-korea-builds-an-orthodox-church-a-431310.html . live .
  8. Book: Hoare, James E.. Historical Dictionary of Democratic People's Republic of Korea. 13 July 2012. Scarecrow Press. Lanham. 978-0-8108-6151-0.
  9. Web site: Visit to Church of Life-Giving Trinity in Pyongyang. kremlin.ru. 19 June 2024.
  10. Web site: ko:암브로시오스 한국의 대주교 : “위험에 처한 것은 제가 아니고, 그리스도의 교회입니다.” . Presvytera Theodoti . ko:한국정교회 대교구 . Orthodox Metropolis of Korea . 26 August 2017 . https://www.orthodoxkorea.org/%EC%95%94%EB%B8%8C%EB%A1%9C%EC%8B%9C%EC%98%A4%EC%8A%A4-%ED%95%9C%EA%B5%AD%EC%9D%98-%EB%8C%80%EC%A3%BC%EA%B5%90-%EC%9C%84%ED%97%98%EC%97%90-%EC%B2%98%ED%95%9C-%EA%B2%83%EC%9D%80-%EC%A0%9C/ . ko . 17 December 2018 . 25 October 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181025150057/https://www.orthodoxkorea.org/%EC%95%94%EB%B8%8C%EB%A1%9C%EC%8B%9C%EC%98%A4%EC%8A%A4-%ED%95%9C%EA%B5%AD%EC%9D%98-%EB%8C%80%EC%A3%BC%EA%B5%90-%EC%9C%84%ED%97%98%EC%97%90-%EC%B2%98%ED%95%9C-%EA%B2%83%EC%9D%80-%EC%A0%9C/ . live .
  11. Web site: 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 . 1 March 2016 . 24 July 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170724143618/http://www.orthodox.cn/news/20060814pyongyangbeijing_en.htm . live .

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