Stephen Min Kuk-ka was born into a pagan family of Korea. His mother died soon after his birth. Years later, he and his father and brothers became Catholics. Stephen's first wife, also Catholic, died shortly after their wedding. He married again, and his second wife gave birth to a daughter. But soon death struck Stephen's family once more, taking the lives of both his second wife and their daughter. Thereafter, Stephen devoted his efforts to winning the conversions of his fellow Koreans while serving as a catechist. At length, pagan government agents arrested him. When one official offered him freedom if he would deny his faith, Stephen answered, "Ten thousand times no!" He was then tortured, during which he was again offered freedom if he apostatized. He replied, "If you set me free, not only shall I continue to practice my religion, but I shall try my best to convert others to it." While in prison, Stephen persuaded several apostates to return to the Catholic faith, including two who later suffered execution for their religious profession. Stephen was executed by strangling.
Stephen Min Kuk-ka (1787 – 1840) is a Korean Roman Catholic saint. He was martyred by strangulation after refusing to deny his faith. His feast day is January 20, and he is also venerated along with the rest of the 103 Korean martyrs on September 20.
Born in 1787 in a non-Christian sect of Korea, his mother died soon after childbirth. With his brothers and father, he converted to Catholicism. He married, but his wife died shortly after their wedding. A few years later, he remarried and his wife had a beautiful daughter. Both later died, leaving him alone once more.
He decided to devote his life to Christ by becoming a Catechist. This was risky: He lived in an era where the Confucian government did not approve of people spreading their own faiths. After a length of time in which he converted many people, he was taken into government custody. The government beat and tortured him, trying to get him to deny his faith. He refused many times over. In 1840, he paid for his conviction when he was strangled to death.
