Peter Chung Soon-taick
Peter Chung Soon-taick is a South Korean prelate of the Catholic Church. Since December 2021, he has been the Metropolitan Archbishop of Seoul and Apostolic Administrator of Pyongyang.
Biography
Early life
Chung was born on 5 August 1961 in Daegu, South Korea. In 1983 he began his studies in the Department of Industrial Chemistry at Seoul National University's College of Engineering, earning his degree in 1986. He studied at the Songsin Theological Campus of the Catholic University of Korea. He entered the novitiate of the Order of Discalced Carmelites of Korea from 1986 to 1992. On 25 January 1992, he took his perpetual vows.
Priest
Chung was ordained a Carmelite priest on 16 July 1992. He then earned a master's degree in Sacred Scripture at the Pontifical Biblical Institute. From 2005 to 2008, he served as Provincial Definitor of the Order of Discalced Carmelites of Korea and Vice-master of Incheon monastery and from 2008 to 2009, he served as the first Definitor of the Order of Discalced Carmelites of Korea and served as the Definitor General of the Order of Discalced Carmelites in Rome for the Far East and Oceania from 2009 to 2013.
Bishop
On 30 December 2013, Pope Francis appointed him an Auxiliary Bishop of Seoul and titular bishop of Tamazuca. He was consecrated with Timothy Yu Gyoung-chon on 5 February 2014 in the Changcheon-dong Stadium, Seoul, by Andrew Yeom Soo-jung, Archbishop of Seoul, assisted by Basil Cho Kyu-man, Vicar General of Seoul, and Linus Lee Seong-hyo, Auxiliary Bishop of Suwon. He chose as his episcopal motto: Deus Pater, Mater Ecclesia, meaning "God the Father, Mother Church".
Archbishop
On 28 October 2021, Pope Francis appointed him Metropolitan Archbishop of Seoul to succeed Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-jung. Chung was installed at the Myeongdong Cathedral of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception on 8 December 2021.