The Honam region preserved the Catholic faith even before the establishment ofthe Diocese of Jeonju, with its roots reaching back to the Joseon dynasty. Thefirst Catholic in the region was 유항검 아우구스티노(Augustine Yu Hang-geom), whoreturned to his hometown of Jeonju and shared the Gospel with his family,relatives, and friends. His entire household eventually embraced the faith, andhis cousin 윤지충 바오로(Paul Yun Ji-chung) also encountered Catholicismthrough 김범우 토마스(Thomas Kim Beom-u) and became a believer.

These early Catholics played a crucial role in thebeginnings of the Korean Church. In 1794, when 윤지충 바오로(Paul Yun Ji-chung) and his cousin 권상연 야고보(James Kwon Sang-yeon) refused to performancestral rites and burned their ancestral tablets during their mother’sfuneral, they were executed in Jeonju in what became known as the JinsanIncident. They became the first martyrs of Korea, and this event marked thebeginning of the 신해박해(Shin-hae Persecution). The very place of theirmartyrdom is now the site of 전주 전동성당(Jeonju Jeondong Church).

Following the death of King Jeongjo and theoutbreak of the 1801 신유박해(Shin-yu Persecution), waves ofpersecution continued, forcing Catholics across the country to flee intomountain regions where they secretly kept their faith. These communities formedCatholic villages (교우촌), and in today’s Jeollabuk-do region, suchvillages emerged in Suryu (수류성당), Daejae (되재성당지),Gosan (고산성당), Daeseung-ri in Jeonju, and Cheonhodong inYeosan.

As religious freedom gradually emerged, the KoreanCatholic Church began forming a diocesan structure. In 1911, when the DaeguVicariate was separated from the Apostolic Vicariate of Joseon, Jeonju and theentire Jeolla region came under the jurisdiction of the Daegu Vicariate. Atthat time, the whole Jeolla region had only seven churches and seven priests.As the Catholic community grew, the Jeonju Apostolic Prefecture was establishedin 1931 for the Jeollabuk-do area, becoming the first region in Korea whereChurch administration was fully managed by Koreans. In 1937, alongside theGwangju Prefecture, it was elevated to the Jeonju Apostolic Vicariate, becomingcompletely independent from Daegu and forming a new ecclesiastical territory inJeonju.

The first cathedral was 전동성당(Jeondong Church), but in 1957 the cathedral seat was moved to 중앙성당(Jungang Church) in Seonosong-dong. In 1962, when the formal diocesan system ofthe Korean Church was established, the Jeonju Apostolic Vicariate was elevatedto the Diocese of Jeonju.

Today, the diocese has 198,615 Catholics, 220priests, 96 parishes, and 88 mission stations. The current eighth bishop of thediocese is 김선태 사도 요한 주교(Bishop John Kim Sun-tae).