Church of the Life-Giving Trinity
Exterior of the church
Church of the Life-Giving Trinity
38°58′55″N 125°44′45″E / 38.981836°N 125.745733°E / 38.981836; 125.745733
Location	Jongbaek-dong, Rangrang District, Pyongyang
Country	North Korea
Denomination	Russian Orthodox Church
History
Status	Parish church
Dedication	Holy Trinity
Dedicated	13 August 2006 (2006-08-13)
Relics held	Sergius of Rakvere [ru]
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Groundbreaking	24 June 2003 (2003-06-24)
Administration
Division	Patriarchate of Moscow and All Russia
Parish	Trinity Parish
Clergy
Rector	Feodor Kim (Kim Hoe-il)
Deacon(s)	John Ra (Ra Gwan-chol)

The Church of the Life-Giving Trinity (Korean: 평양정백사원) is an Eastern Orthodox church in Jongbaek-dong, Rangrang District in Pyongyang, North Korea.^[1] It is the first and only Orthodox church in the country, and one of only a handful of Christian churches there overall.

Kim Jong-il reportedly wanted to construct an Eastern Orthodox church in North Korea after a trip to the Russian Far East in 2002.^[2] Kim had visited the St. Innocent of Irkutsk Church in Khabarovsk on 22 August and admired its architecture and Russian Orthodox rites.^[3] A Russian diplomat asked Kim Jong-il whether there were any Orthodox believers in Pyongyang, and Kim replied that believers would be found.^[4]

There were no Eastern Orthodox priests in the country, so the Korean Orthodox Committee [nl] established in 2002^[5] contacted the Russian Orthodox Church.^[6] The committee sent four students to the Moscow Ecclesiastical Seminary in April 2003.^[3][1] All four were freshly baptized Christians who had formerly worked for the North Korean intelligence service. One of them, Feodor Kim (Kim Hoe-il),^[7][3] said it was difficult for them to adopt the Orthodox faith. After the seminary, they were dispatched to Vladivostok to gain practical experience.^[7]

The groundbreaking ceremony was held on 24 June 2003.^[3] The church was dedicated on 13 August 2006 in the presence of Russian religious and political leaders.^[8]

During Russian president, Vladimir Putin's official visit to Pyongyang in 2024, he visited the church and performed a brief divine service.^[9]

The church is presided over by rector Feodor Kim (Kim Hoe-il) and deacon John Ra (Ra Gwan-chol), graduates of the theological seminary in Moscow.^[3]

The church has a parish of its own and is under the Patriarchate of Moscow and All Russia.^[3] However, the Korean Orthodox Church claims Eastern Orthodox Church in North Korea are part of the Korean Orthodox Church.^[10]

The shrine is consecrated with a relic of Sergius of Rakvere [ru]. The church also has a Holy Trinity Icon.^[11]

Very few locals attend.^[8]

• Religion in North Korea
• Korean Orthodox Church in South Korea
• Church of the Life-Giving Trinity (disambiguation)
• Orthodoxy in Korea

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Holy Trinity Orthodox Church, Pyongyang.

• Korean Eparchy of the Moscow Patriarchate
• Korean Orthodox Church Becomes Separate Metropolis; Begins Dialogue With New Orthodox Group in North Korea Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine
• Russian Orthodox Christians celebrate Pentecost in Pyongyang
• Делегация Русской Православной Церкви приняла участие в торжествах по случаю пятилетия освящения Троицкого храма в Пхеньяне (in Russian)
• Православный Храм Святой Живоначальной Троицы В Пхеньяне (in Russian)
• Русский священник в Пхеньяне радуется за северокорейцев – жить сложно, но они истинные патриоты (in Russian)
• "Bells of an Orthodox Church Ring" at Naenara

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