St Andrew Kim Taegon and companions

He was the first priest from Korea, the country hosting this WYD, and he gave his life for the faith at just twenty-five. Together with him, his companions are also patron saints of WYD: the Korean martyrs canonised alongside him, 103 in all.

His symbol is the red stole, which represents his martyrdom. And the prayer dedicated to him on the official website takes up the words of Jesus that are the theme of this WYD (Jn 16:33): it asks that we overcome fear and bear witness to Christ with courage.

He was the first Korean Catholic priest. He was born in 1821 and, at fifteen, he was chosen as a seminarian and sent to study in Macau.

In 1845 he was ordained a priest in Shanghai. He then returned to his homeland, Joseon (Korea), with Bishop Ferréol and Father Daveluy, aboard a small wooden boat: the Raphael.

It was a time of persecution, and he worked tirelessly to open safe routes by which missionaries could enter the country. But he was soon arrested. He suffered very harsh torture and, in 1846, just a year after his ordination and six months after his return, he died a martyr at Saenamteo. He was twenty-five. Right to the end, from prison, he wrote letters to encourage the persecuted Catholics.

With his deep faith and his love of God, he helped to lay the foundations of the Church in Korea. In 1984, St John Paul II canonised him in Seoul, as one of the 103 Korean martyrs.