TAIKU [DAEGU], APOSTOLIC VICARIATE OF. - Located in the southeastern part of Korea, it has an area of 31,293 sq km and a population of 6,400,000 inhabitants.
On April 8, 1911, the ancient apostolic vicariate of Korea was split into two independent missions: the vicariate of Seoul (v.) and the vicariate of T., entrusted to the Society of Foreign Missions of Paris. The evangelization of this territory goes back to the earliest days of Christianity in Korea. In fact, the mission of T. already counted, in 1911, 25,000 Catholics, who by 1922 had risen to 31,457, with a seminary (1913), a convent of the Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres (1915) and the meeting house of the Catholic Youth (1916). In 1927 that district was divided for the erection of two apostolic prefectures, namely Chon-ju and Kwang-ju. During the Second World War, the European Ordinary, who had resigned, was replaced by an apostolic administrator of Japanese nationality. In the postwar period, the Japanese prelate was succeeded in the government of the mission by a Korean priest, until on Dec. 9, 1948 the current apostolic vicar, Msgr. John Choe, was appointed, thus passing the vicariate definitively 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 Confucianists and as many Taoists. The missionary personnel consists of 27 priests, of whom 25 are natives and 2 are from the Foreign Missions of Paris; 102 sisters, 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; a Fide, Prospectus status missionis, 1931-32, pos. prot. n. 5085/52.
Edoardo Pecoraio