TAIKU, APOSTOLIC VICARIATE OF. — Located in the south-eastern part of Korea, it has an area of 31,293 sq. km. and a population of 6,400,000 inhabitants.
On 8 April 1911 the ancient apostolic vicariate of Korea was divided into two independent missions: the vicariate of Seoul (v.) and the vicariate of T., entrusted to the Paris Foreign Missions Society. The evangelization of this territory dates back to the early days of Christianity in Korea. Indeed, the mission of T. already counted, in 1911, 25,000 Catholics, which rose to 31,457 in 1922, with a seminary (1913), a convent of the Sisters of St Paul of Chartres (1915) and a meeting house for Catholic Youth (1916). In 1927 that circumscription was divided with the erection of two apostolic prefectures, namely Chon-ju and Kwang-ju. During the Second World War, a Japanese administrator apostolic of nationality replaced the European ordinary, who had resigned. After the war, a Korean priest succeeded the Japanese prelate in the government of the mission, until on 9 Dec. 1948 the present apostolic vicar, Mgr. Giovanni Choe, was appointed, thus definitively passing the vicariate to the Korean secular clergy.
The number of Catholics is 44,706 with 3,111 catechumens. There are 125,000 Protestants; 1,200,000 Buddhists; 2,500,000 Confucians and as many Taoists. The missionary personnel consists of 27 priests, of whom 25 are indigenous and 2 from the Paris Foreign Missions; 102 nuns, of whom 92 are Korean, 3 French and 7 American; 282 catechists; 111 teachers; 15 doctors; 29 nurses. There are 9 hospitals; 2 dispensaries; 3 orphanages; a home for the elderly; one
TAINE, HIPPOLYTE — Portrait.