On 3 April, Fr General Arturo Sosa SJ appointed Fr Kim Yong-su Paschal SJ as the new Provincial of the Korean Province. He will succeed Fr Chong Che-chon John SJ who has served as Provincial for six years from September 2014.

Born in 1967, Fr Kim entered the Society of Jesus in 1994 and was ordained 10 years later. He pursued his theological studies at the Weston Jesuit School of Theology in Cambridge, USA, and obtained his doctoral degree in spirituality at the Milltown Institute/the National University of Ireland.

Fr Kim brings with him a broad range of experience in leadership and apostolic engagements. He is currently the Socius to the Provincial and Superior of a house of formation, Arrupe Community, while teaching at Sogang University and serving as Director of the Institute for Ignatian Spirituality in Seoul. He has been a member of the Board of Trustees of Sogang University and a member of the Province’s various committees, including finance, formation, pastoral ethics, social apostolate, and spiritual apostolate.

“I warmly congratulate Yong-su and welcome him to the conference,” wrote Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific President Fr Tony Moreno SJ in his letter to the conference.  He thanked Fr Chong for “his six years of focused and generous engagement with JCAP” that included being Consultor from 2015 to 2018 and mentor to the Ignatian Spirituality Network. He also thanked Fr Chong for the various ways he has shown support and collaboration in the conference.