▁religion ' s ▁opposition ▁to ▁ancest ral ▁" wor ship ", ▁which ▁the ▁Church ▁perce ived ▁to ▁be ▁a ▁form ▁of ▁id ol at ry , ▁but ▁which ▁the ▁State ▁pres cribed ▁as ▁a ▁corner stone ▁of ▁Korean ▁culture . ▁ ▁Despite ▁a ▁century - long ▁per sec ution ▁that ▁produced ▁thousands ▁of ▁mart y rs ▁— ▁ 1 0 3 ▁of ▁whom ▁were ▁canon ized ▁by ▁Pope ▁John ▁Paul ▁II ▁in ▁May ▁ 1 9 8 4 , ▁including ▁the ▁first ▁Korean ▁priest , ▁St . ▁Andrew ▁Ta eg on ▁Kim , ▁who ▁was ▁ord ained ▁in ▁ 1 8 4 5 ▁and ▁mart y red ▁in ▁ 1 8 4 6 ▁— ▁the ▁Church ▁in ▁Korea ▁expanded . ▁The ▁Apost ol ic ▁Vic ari ate ▁of ▁Korea ▁was ▁formed ▁in ▁ 1 8 3 1 , ▁and ▁after ▁the ▁expansion ▁of ▁the ▁Church ▁structure ▁over ▁the ▁next ▁century , ▁the ▁current ▁structure ▁of ▁the ▁three ▁Metropolitan ▁Provin ces , ▁each ▁with ▁an ▁Arch di oc ese ▁and ▁several ▁suff rag an ▁Dioc eses , ▁was ▁established ▁in ▁ 1 9 6 2 . ▁ ▁In ▁ 1 8 9 9 , ▁" the ▁Sin ch ' uk ▁Reb ell ion , ▁a ▁Conf u cian - led ▁and ▁- organ ised ▁popular ▁u pr ising ", ▁made ▁a ▁" most ▁bar bar ous ▁mass acre " ▁of ▁from ▁ 5 0 0 ▁to ▁ 6 0 0 ▁vict ims . ▁It ▁was ▁in ▁reaction ▁to ▁promises ▁of ▁tax ▁exem ptions ▁by