The Catholic Archdiocese of Gwangju is a particular church of the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church, one of the three Metropolitan sees of the Catholic Church in Korea. It was first created in 1937 as an Apostolic Vicariate to be administered by a Monsignor, and was raised to the Archdiocese in 1962. The first Korean was appointed to the see in 1954.
In July 2009, Auxiliary Bishop Hyginus Kim Hee Joong was named Coadjutor Archbishop by Pope Benedict XVI to succeed Archbishop Andrew Chang-mu Choi when Archbishop Choi resigns or dies. Archbishop Choi's resignation was accepted by Pope Benedict XVI on Thursday, March 25, 2010. He is succeeded immediately as Archbishop of Kwangju by Coadjutor Archbishop Joong.
The following is a list of the bishops and then the archbishops of Gwangju
- Monsignor Owen McPolin (1937–1942)
- Monsignor A. Wakata (1942–1945)
- Monsignor Owen McPolin (1945–1947)
- Monsignor Patrick Brennan (1947–1950)
- Archbishop Harold Henry (1962–1971)
- Archbishop Peter Gong-ryul Han (1971–1973)
- Archbishop Victorinus Youn Kong-hi (1973–2000)
- Archbishop Andrew Chang-mu Choi (2000–2010)
- Archbishop Hyginus Kim Hee Jong (2010-); had served as Auxiliary Bishop, then as Coadjutor Archbishop from 2009-2010. He will be assisted by Auxiliary Bishop-elect Simon Ok Hyun-jin, who was appointed in May 2011 and who had been serving as a priest of the archdiocese since his 1994 ordination, currently as a professor of the Catholic University of Gwangju.
The Archdiocese covers the city of Gwangju and entire Chollanamdo province.
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