Father Choi Kwanghee Appointed as New Auxiliary Bishop of Seoul Archdiocese... Number of Korean Bishops Rises to 24

Father Choi Kwanghee Appointed as New Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Seoul
Youngest Member of the Korean Bishops' Conference
Archdiocese of Seoul Now Has Four Auxiliary Bishops

Pope Leo XIV appointed Father Choi Kwanghee (47, baptismal name Matteo) as the new auxiliary bishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Seoul at 7:00 p.m. on July 8, 2025 (12:00 p.m. local time in Rome), according to the Apostolic Nunciature to Korea on July 8. The announcement was made through the Vatican's official newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano.

Matteo Choi Kwanghee, the newly appointed bishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of Seoul. Catholic Archdiocese of Seoul

This appointment comes approximately one and a half years after the appointment of Bishop Lee Kyungsang in February of last year. An auxiliary bishop assists the diocesan bishop but, unlike a coadjutor bishop who holds the right of succession, does not have the right to succeed the diocesan bishop.

The newly appointed Bishop Choi Kwanghee was born in Seoul in 1977 and was ordained as a priest in July 2004. In 2012, he earned a master's degree in biblical theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University. After returning to Korea, he served as the priest in charge of the Catholic Youth Bible Group from 2013 to 2020. In 2021, he served as the deputy director of the St. Imbert Center, and since 2023, he has held the positions of director of the Culture and Communications Department and secretary general of the Public Relations Committee of the Archdiocese of Seoul. Since September 2024, he has also been serving as the spokesperson for the Archdiocese of Seoul. Bishop Choi is currently the youngest member of the Korean Catholic Bishops' Conference.

With this appointment, the number of active bishops in the Korean Catholic Church has increased to 24 (3 archbishops and 21 bishops). Including 18 emeritus bishops, the Korean Catholic Church now has a total of 42 bishops (2 cardinals, 7 archbishops, and 33 bishops). The Catholic Church in Korea is composed of 16 dioceses, among which Seoul, Daegu, and Gwangju are archdioceses led by archbishops.

The Archdiocese of Seoul, which began as the Apostolic Vicariate of Joseon (a diocese under the direct jurisdiction of the Vatican) on September 9, 1831, and has shared its history with that of the Korean Catholic Church, now has four auxiliary bishops. The current auxiliary bishops are Bishop Yu Kyungchun, Bishop Koo Yobi, and Bishop Lee Kyungsang.

Bishop Choi's first official schedule is to pay a courtesy visit to Archbishop Chung Soon-taick, the diocesan bishop, at 7:30 p.m. on July 8, 2025.