Yu In-chon: "Even Sadder Than Last Year"...Bicycle Pilgrimage to Mark Brother's First Anniversary

Six Nights and Seven Days in Remembrance of the Late Bishop Timothy Yu
Journeying through Nabawee, Haemi, and Solmoe, arriving at Myeongdong Cathedral on the 21st
"Hoping to Connect Korea's Sacred Sites into a Single Pilgrimage Route Like Santia

Former Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Yu In-chon is embarking on a pilgrimage to Catholic holy sites across the country by bicycle to mark the first anniversary of his younger brother, the late Bishop Timothy Yu Kyungchon’s passing.

In 2023, during his nomination as Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, former Minister Yoo In-chon is seen commuting to his office by bicycle. The Asia Business Daily DB

According to the cultural community on August 16, Minister Yu attended a memorial mass for the first anniversary of Bishop Yu’s passing and visited his gravesite on August 14. Following this, beginning on the Liberation Day holiday, August 15, he set out on a six-night, seven-day pilgrimage.

Minister Yu said, “My brother passed away at a very young age. I felt even sadder during this year’s memorial mass than I did last year,” adding, “I am making this pilgrimage in remembrance of my brother.”

On August 16, Minister Yu began at Nabawi Holy Site in Iksan, North Jeolla Province, then planned to visit the Darakgol Holy Site in Cheongyang, South Chungcheong Province; Galmaemot Martyrs’ Holy Site in Boryeong; Haemi International Holy Site in Seosan; Sinri and Solmoe Holy Sites in Dangjin; and Gongsori Cathedral in Asan. Afterward, he is scheduled to stop at Namyang Martyrs’ Shrine in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, as well as Jeoldusan and Seosomun Martyrs’ Holy Sites in Seoul, before finishing the pilgrimage at Myeongdong Cathedral on August 21.

The funeral mass of the late Bishop Yukyungchon of the Catholic Archdiocese of Seoul was held on the 18th at Myeongdong Cathedral in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Joint Press Corps

Nabawi Holy Site, the starting point of the pilgrimage, is where St. Andrew Kim Taegon, the first Korean-born Catholic priest, first set foot after returning from China, where he was ordained. The Darakgol Holy Site in Cheongyang is home to the birthplace of St. Thomas Choe Yang-eop, the second Korean-born priest, and features a communal grave containing the remains of unknown martyrs. Galmaemot Martyrs’ Holy Site in Boryeong is where French missionaries and believers were martyred during the Byeongin Persecution.

Bishop Yu Kyungchon was ordained in 1992 and went on to serve as a professor at the Catholic University’s Faculty of Theology and director of the Seoul Archdiocese’s Integrated Pastoral Research Institute. In 2014, he was consecrated as bishop and appointed as an auxiliary bishop of the Seoul Archdiocese. He also served as Vicar General in charge of social pastoral care and passed away from illness on August 15 last year at the age of 63. Minister Yu is the third of four sons and two daughters, and Bishop Yu was the youngest sibling.

This pilgrimage not only commemorates his brother but also reflects Minister Yu’s wish to connect religious holy sites scattered across the country into a single pathway.

Minister Yu remarked, “Each religion in Korea has meaningful holy sites across the country, but it is not easy to connect them. I hope a pilgrimage route, like the Camino de Santiago, is established so people can walk or cycle continuously between them,” adding, “If such a route is created in Korea and many people come to visit, it would also be beneficial for local regions.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.