As the holiday season unfolds, tvN is broadcasting a special three-part drama, “Young Kim Taegon,” offering an emotional look into the extraordinary journey of St. Andrew Kim Taegon (1821-46), Korea’s first Catholic priest. The first episode aired on Christmas Eve. The drama is based on the 2022 film “A Birth.” Its production company, Minfilm, said the television adaptation covers a wider narrative range than the big-screen version, having restructured the story to emphasize the human side of Kim, portrayed by actor Yoon Si-yoon. Born in 1821, Kim was a pioneer who became the nation’s first Catholic priest. At the age of 15, he traveled to Macao for seminary studies and was ordained as a priest in Shanghai. He was executed for his faith at the age of 25 under the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), which maintained a strict anti-Catholic policy at the time. In 1984, he was canonized as a saint by Pope John Paul II. The original film gained attention when it premiered in Vatican City in 2022. To provide deeper context of Kim’s inner struggles during his difficult years of study and