Fr. John Lee Tae-seok was born in Busan in 1962. His father passed away when he was only 9, and his mother worked as a seamstress to single-handedly raise her 10 children. Lee was an exceptionally gifted student in various subjects, but he ultimately chose to pursue medicine as a career. After completing his studies, he served in the military as a doctor, where he eventually found his calling and became a priest. In 1991, he joined the order of the Salesians and was christened Fr. John Lee.
He went to Tonj, South Sudan, and founded a hospital for patients suffering from grave illnesses such as Hansen’s disease and tuberculosis. Beyond sharing his medical knowledge, he also grew close to Tonj residents. The children there called him “Fr. Jolly,” a shortened form of his Christian name and surname. He wrote two books on his missionary work. Sadly, cancer cut his life short at age 47 in 2010. His life story was made into the Korean biopic Don’t Cry for Me, Sudan.
Esther Lee For The Junior Times (ttt@timescore.co.kr)
1. How old was Fr. Lee when his father passed away?
2. What did Fr. Lee do in 1991?
3. What did he do in South Sudan?
1. What is the difference between an ordianry doctor and a military doctor?
2. Do you have siblings? Do you think it's fun to have many siblings?
3. Why was he called Fr. Jolly?
Fr. John Lee Tae-seok was born in Busan in 1962. His father passed away when he was only 9, and his mother worked as a seamstress to single-handedly raise her 10 children. Lee was an exceptionally gifted student in various subjects, but he ultimately chose to pursue medicine as a career. After completing his studies, he served in the military as a doctor, where he eventually found his calling and became a priest. In 1991, he joined the order of the Salesians and was christened Fr. John Lee.
