About Julia Kim:
Her original name is Hong-Sun Yoon. Julia is her baptismal name and Kim is her husband’s last name. She was born in Naju in 1947. Her father was a school teacher and a scholar in Chinese literature. In 1950, when the Korean War broke out, her grandfather and father were killed by the Communist soldiers. Her younger sister also died of an illness. Julia, with her mother, began experiencing extreme poverty and had to work hard for survival; as a result, she could not finish high school.
In 1972, Julia married Julio Kim. who worked for the City of Naju, in its agricultural department. They have four children — two sons and two daughters.
Later, Julia’s health deteriorated because of cancer and other accompanying illnesses. After several surgeries, her doctors said there was no hope.
Apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary to Julia Kim:
While Julia was waiting for death, her husband took her to a Catholic priest. After hearing Julia’s story, the priest consoled her by saying that her sufferings were blessings from God. Julia felt her body becoming warm and sweating and was soon healed completely. She began a fervent prayer life. She opened a beauty salon and became quite successful. (A few years later, she closed the salon.)
One night, at 3 a.m., Julia saw a vision of Our Lord bleeding miserably, especially from His Heart, which was torn by human sins. Julia was deeply moved and promised a life of reparation for the sins in the world. Miraculously, she began suffering severe pains again. Julia also received the Stigmata, the wounds of Our Lord. These Stigmata usually last for several days and disappear. They reappear later. On June 30, 1985, Julia saw Our Lady’s statue in her room weeping for the first time. Two and a half weeks later, on July 18, she received the first message from Our Lady. On October 19, 1986, clear tears turned into bloody tears. Julia has continued receiving messages and suffering pains. Other miracles have also continued — fragrant oil from Our Lady’s statue, the fragrance of roses, healings of incurable illnesses, and Eucharistic miracles.
A Summary of the supernatural events surrounding Julia Kim:
Tears of blood streaming from the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary. For a total of 700 days between June 30, 1985 and January 14, 1992. Samples of the bloody tears were tested in a medical laboratory and were found to be human blood.
Fragrant oil from the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary: For seven hundred consecutive days from November 24, 1992, to October 23, 1994.
The external appearance of the Host in the Holy Eucharist turned in to visible flesh and blood on Julia’s tongue. Twelve times between May 1988 and October 1996. The miracle on October 31, 1995, was witnessed by Pope John Paul II during a Mass in the Pope’s private chapel in the Vatican. Bishop Roman Danylak from Toronto, Canada, and Bishop Dominic Su of Sibu, Malaysia, also witnessed the miracles in Naju and Sibu, respectively, and wrote their testimonies expressing their belief in the authenticity of these miracles.
The sacred host descended from above to the chapel in Naju. Seven times between November 24, 1994, and August 27, 1997. The first two miracles were witnessed by the Apostolic Pro-Nuncio in Korea during his visit to Naju.
On July 1, 1995, seven Sacred Hosts descended. They were consumed by two priests and five lay people including Julia according to the local Archbishop’s instruction. The external appearance of the Sacred Host that Julia received changed into visible Flesh and Blood on her tongue. A sample of this Blood was tested in the medical laboratory at Seoul National University and was found to be human blood.
The descent of the Eucharist on June 12, 1997, was witnessed by Bishop Paul Kim of the Cheju Diocese in Korea. The Eucharist again descended on August 27, 1997, during Fr. Raymond Spies’ visit to Naju. An intense fragrance is continuing (as of May 1998) from the spot on the floor in the Chapel where the Eucharist landed.
Spiritual and physical healings. Numerous people have regained love and peace in their families and returned to the Sacraments. Many were healed physically, especially while repenting their sinful lives after experiencing Our Lady’s love.
Julia had the Stigmata (the wounds of Christ). Bleeding occurred on Julia’s two hands and two feet during her sufferings. Doctors examined Julia and stated that her wounds and bleeding had no medical explanation.
A Summary of the Blessed Virgin Mary’s messages to Julia Kim:
Our Lady wants everyone to convert from a self-centered life to a life of serving God, defending and spreading His Truth, and passing on His Love to everyone on earth.
Become little children (in relation to God and your Heavenly Mother). Do not seek to be higher than others. Live a life of self-denial and sacrifices.
Offer up reparations for the conversion of sinners in the world. Repair the wounds in the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary with prayers and sacrifices.
Pray fervently, especially the rosary, to defeat the devil.
Achieve peace and love in your family. Forgive one another.
Be loyal to the Pope and his teachings. Respect, love and support priests. Pray for them ceaselessly that they may be protected from the devil’s attacks and be faithful to their mission.
Let everyone know that the Lord is truly present in the Holy Eucharist with His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. Make frequent and sincere Confessions so that you may receive the Lord more worthily.
Respect human lives — especially the neglected, the sick, the elderly, and the unborn. Let everyone know that life begins at the moment of conception and that abortion is murder.
Have complete trust in me. Love this Heavenly Mother wholeheartedly and seek refuge in her Heart. I am the shortcut to Jesus and the Helper in His Redemptive Work.
Hurriedly spread and practice my messages of love.
Click here for a video of Julia speaking in 2019.
Official Status of the Apparitions to Julia Kim in South Korea:
Originally, the local Bishop seemed favorable toward the apparitions. In 1998, former Gwangju Archbishop Victorinus Youn Kong-hi declared that so-called “miracles” attributed to the Virgin Mary in Naju city have produced no evidence that “they are supernatural and thus from God.”
On January 5, 2024, the Korean Catholic Bishops’ Conference rejected the miracles associated with the shrine.
Here at The Catholic Travel Guide, we try to be obedient to the Church and Bishops. For this reason, we do not recommend visiting the Shrine. This does not mean that we necessarily believe these apparitions to be false….there have been incidents in the past where apparitions were originally ruled as false, or “not worthy of belief” and subsequent events changed that to “worthy of belief”. The term “worthy of belief” does not mean that, as a practicing Catholic, you must believe in them….merely that you can choose to believe in them.
However, we would like to point out that several mystics have, in the past, been silenced….only to find later on that the Church had accepted their miracles as genuine. Perhaps most notable among them would be Padre Pio (now Saint Padre Pio), who was even forbidden to say Mass in public..or even give spiritual advice. You can read more of that story here.
Traveling to the Blessed Mother’s Mountain in Naju, Korea:
Well, based on all of the above, some may still want to visit the Shrine.
Address: 425 Singwang-ro, Dasi-myeon, Naju-si, Jeollanam-do, South Korea
Click here for the official website of the Blessed Mother’s Mountain in Naju, South Korea (in Korean)