The number of Catholic priests in active service will likely exceed 5,000 by the end of this year, according to the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea on Friday.

Issuing the latest version of who's who on Catholic priests in Korea, the conference said the total number of Koreans honored to the priesthood stood at 5,899 by the end of September last year.

Of the total, 536 died and 427 quit the priesthood to return to secular life, leaving the number of active priests at 4,936.

The CBCK said the total number of Korean priests from the days of the 19th century Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) to the present will then be more than 6,000 by the end of this year.

This outlook is based on the fact that an average of some 150 deacons are newly honored to the priesthood every year.

The Catholic directory carries details on the priests ranging from St. Andrew Kim Dae-gon, who became the first Korean priest in August 1845, to those who were awarded the priesthood by September last year.  

Meanwhile, the number of foreign priests now active in South Korea stood at 138 by last September, a decrease of 20 from the previous year. (Yonhap)