History

The missionary activity of the Russian Church among the Koreans began in 1856, when St. Innokenty (Veniaminov) began to send preachers to the South Ussuri region, where a stream of Korean settlers was heading. Some Koreans who converted to Orthodoxy then returned to Korea. In 1884, Russia established diplomatic relations with Korea, and in 1885, an agreement was concluded between both countries, the 4th article of which stated that in Korean ports open to foreigners, Russian citizens “are given the right to freely worship.”

The Orthodox mission in Korea was opened in 1897. The following year, the newly appointed head of the mission, Archimandrite Ambrose, went to his place of service. But the first head of the Korean Orthodox mission did not manage to visit Korea. Due to unfavorable political conditions, the arrival of Russian missionaries was postponed for a while: Russian leaders left Korea this year: financial adviser, instructors and employees at the Russian-Korean bank. Archimandrite Ambrose settled in Novokievsk, from where he was soon recalled back to European Russia for a new position. Archimandrite Ambrose was replaced by Archimandrite Khrisanf, a candidate of the Kazan Theological Academy, who arrived at his place of service at the beginning of 1900. Thus, this year should be considered the first year of the actual existence of the Russian spiritual mission in Korea.

The Orthodox mission that operated on the territory of modern North Korea and the Republic of Korea from the time of its foundation was under the jurisdiction of the Metropolitan of St. Petersburg, in 1908 – the Archbishop of Vladivostok, from 1922 to 1941 – the Archbishop (since 1931 – Metropolitan) of Tokyo and Japan. From 1941 to 1945, the mission was temporarily independent, under the control of its direct chief.

On June 11, 1946, by the decree of Patriarch Alexy I, the East Asian Metropolitan District was created by transformation, which was formed after reunification with the Russian Orthodox Church in December. 1945 Harbin diocese and included the parishes of China and Korea. Harbin became the center of the Exarchate, since a large Russian diaspora lived in the Harbin diocese.

During the Japanese occupation and the civil war in China (1932-1949), the Orthodox Church in the canonical territory of the East Asian Exarchate suffered heavy losses: some churches, especially on the lines of the Chinese Eastern Railway, were lost, and many priests were subjected to repression. A particularly difficult situation developed in Korea, since its southern part at that time was part of the zone of American occupation and the head of the Korean spiritual mission, Archimandrite Polikarp (Priymak), was persecuted by the American and South Korean authorities, who were trying to tear the mission away from the Russian Orthodox Church.

July 9, 1950, a few days after the start of the Korean War of 1950-1953. and the entry of the Korean People’s Army into Seoul, A. Kim was arrested in his apartment in the mission area, deported to the north of the country, and probably died. During the battles for Seoul, the building of the Russian consulate was destroyed, the buildings belonging to the mission were damaged, the church was blown up.

Most of the Russian émigrés left Seoul before the start of the war, and the few remaining left during or after the war. In 1953, the Greek chaplain Archimandrite Andrew (Chalkiopoulos), who was in Korea as part of the UN armed forces, discovered an Orthodox church and a small community in Seoul. Through his efforts, the church building was restored, and on November 29, 1953, the church was consecrated. Since that time, divine services have been regularly performed in it.

The entry into the Japanese Diocese of the North American Metropolis seemed unacceptable to the Orthodox of South Korea, who, after the end of the Second World War, considered any dependence on Japan impossible. This was the main reason that held on 24 December. In 1955, a congress of Korean Orthodox believers decided to join the Patriarchate of Constantinople, for which a corresponding petition was sent to Istanbul. The petition was granted, and since 1956 the Korean community of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker was under the jurisdiction of the Patriarch of Constantinople in North and South America. Later, all the property and territory of the temple, which belonged to the Korean diplomatic mission, at the request of the Orthodox Korean community, in accordance with the court decision, were transferred to its ownership. In December 1966, priest Boris Moon († 1977) and the leadership of the community in Seoul sold the St. Nicholas Church, which historically belonged to K.D.M., with a plot of land, and built a new St. Nicholas Cathedral with the proceeds.

Since 1970, the Orthodox the parishes of Korea were under the jurisdiction of the 8 Jan. 1970 of the New Zealand Metropolis of the K-Polish Patriarchate, which united the Orthodox Church under its control. temples in Nov. Zealand, India, South. Korea, Japan, Philippines, Singapore, Indonesia, Hong Kong.

In 2000, celebrations were held on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Orthodoxy in Korea, led by the Patriarch of Constantinople

sky Bartholomew. From the Russian Orthodox Church, the celebration was attended by Archbishop (currently Metropolitan) of Kaluga and Borovsk Kliment (Kapalin), First Deputy Chairman of the DECR of the Moscow Patriarchate. In 2000 Bishop Sotiry of Zil (Trambas) asked to send a priest of the Russian Orthodox Church to Korea in view of the significant increase in the number of Russian-speaking parishioners. In the same year, Hieromonk (since 2006 abbot) Feofan (Kim; later Bishop of Kyzyl and Tuva; Archbishop of Korea) was sent to Seoul and served until 2011.

In 2002, during his stay in Russia, Kim Jong Il, chairman of the State Defense Committee of the DPRK, expressed a desire to build an Orthodox church in Pyongyang. In 2003, the Orthodox Committee was formed as part of the Society of Believers of the DPRK, with Georgy (Ho Ir Zin) as its chairman. In Apr. In 2003, the ROC accepted students from the DPRK for training at the IBC – candidates for further pastoral service in North Korea.

On June 24, 2003, Archbishop Kliment (Kapalin) of Kaluga and Borovsk consecrated the first stone of the Church of the Holy Trinity in Pyongyang. In response to the appeal of the Chairman of the Orthodox Committee of the DPRK, by the decision of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church on July 17, 2006, the Orthodox Church was established under the canonical jurisdiction of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. Parish of the Trinity Church in Pyongyang.

On April 20, 2004, by the decision of the Synod of the K-Polish Patriarchate, a separate Korean Metropolis was formed on the territory of South Korea, Met. Sotiry (Trambas). In May 2008, Metropolitan Sotiry was replaced as head of the Korean Metropolis by Metropolitan Ambrose (Zographos), who had served in South Korea as archimandrite for more than 10 years.

August 13, 2006 Met. Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad ((Gundyaev) later Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia) led the consecration of the Trinity Church, on August 13 and 14, 2006 he ordained priests Theodore Kim and John Ra, graduates of the Moscow Seminary.

On September 30, 2008, during the visit of South Korean President Lee Myung-bak to Russia, he met with Patriarch Alexy II, at which they discussed the possibility of building new churches of the Russian Orthodox Church in South Korea.

On November 3, 2013, the chairman of the Department for External Church Relations, Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeev) of Volokolamsk, head of the delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church at the General Assembly of the World Council of Churches, in concelebration with Bishop Feofan of Kyzyl and Tyva, celebrated the liturgy at the Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Busan.

On October 21, 2016, by decision of the Holy Synod, Archbishop Sergiy (Chashin) was appointed administrator of the parishes of the Moscow Patriarchate in Southeast Asia and East Asia. On June 15-18, 2017, Archbishop Sergius, together with members of the delegation, visited Seoul to participate in the presentation of the book of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill “Freedom and Responsibility” in Korean. This event took place at the Embassy of the Russian Federation on June 15 and was prepared by the efforts of Archpriest Pavel Kang, Administrator of the ROCOR Korean Mission.

On February 26, 2019, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church formed the Korean Diocese within the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the Republic of Korea with the title of “Korean” diocesan bishop, and is included in the Patriarchal Exarchate of Southeast Asia. At the time of its formation, it was the smallest of the dioceses of the Russian Orthodox Church and consisted of only two parishes (in Pyongyang and Seoul). On July 9, 2019, at a meeting of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, they were accepted into the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church of the Resurrection of Christ in Seoul and the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Busan.

Ruling Archpastor

Archbishop Feofan of Korea