Friday, April 28, 2017

Korean Martyrs

            My military short tour in Korea has introduced me to some interesting stories about new saints (for me). Korea is split into North Korea and South Korea: one a republic and democracy that prospers and stands against the communist North. The base I’m stationed at has a chapel that was shipped here from Thailand. We are the only base in the Pacific that has two priests at its disposal! Luckily this means I never have to travel to go to mass and daily mass is offered most days of the week. Being here isn’t much different from being in any North American city when it comes to practicing Catholicism. Also, the Koreans have a respectful attitude towards Catholicism which make up a little under half of all Christians here. While I let the feast day pass me by as I got used to everything else in Korea, it was not until right before lent that I heard stories of the saints who died here. Hobo for Christ, Megan Hunter-Kilmer, gave a talk on her Catholic Faith while visiting Korea.[2] She described some of the torture methods the government used on Koreans who professed Christianity and the peculiar way in which Christianity came here. 

In 1784, a Korean man was baptized with the name Peter Ri in Bejing and left to his homeland to spread Catholicism. He brought with him some books on the Church and became the first missionary to the region! His converts would soon be viewed as foreign traitors though and martyred. By the time the first priest walked on the Korean peninsula there was already four thousand Catholics. Apparently, some had been performing “mass” and the sacraments without a valid priest (they didn’t know better!). Father James Tsiou came from China and began to teach orthodoxy to those he met, but soon authorities killed Tsiou as well.[4] It was not until 1836 that Pope Gregory XVI created a diocese in Korea. As actual missionaries began to flood into the country, a full persecution started in 1839 to kill the European priests. The first native priest Andrew Kim Taegon arrived in 1845 after seminary from a safe country and was put to death in 1846; he only survived one year. Persecution just became more and more severe and Catholics fled to the mountains, still preaching Christ. In 1864, another persecution took eight thousand among whom were two bishops, six French missionaries and another native priest. The government brutally wanted to stop the spread of Catholicism and threatened torture and interrogation.  Christians would have rope rubbed up and down their shin bones till the skin would tear from the bone, then till the bone would start to wear. Others would have their ankles and thighs tied together firmly. In between these the martyr’s shins would be placed a large pole of wood. The pole of wood would be used to splinter the shin bones in half. Many would be tortured over many days, beheadings were common and crucifixion was also practiced. One Korean, Saint Kim Rosa, after being threatened with torture replied, “Judge! I cannot give up my God. He is the Creator and Father to all of us. He loves virtue and punishes sin, so how could I abandon Him? Harming others is also a sin. A long time ago I decided to shed my blood for these truths. Do as you please.”[5] I pray that we in our safe countries can be like the Korean saints who died for their faith without falter. I am glad that now no one need be in fear of their life for their faith in the Republic of Korea, sadly North Koreans still face a ruthless government. The feast of the Korean Martyrs is September 20th and remembers all those who died in the persecutions of 1839, 1846, and 1867.





[1] Catholic Online. Martyrs of Korea. Accessed at http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=4774 on April 29, 2017.
[2] Megan Hunter-Kilmer. Pierced Hands. Accessed at http://www.piercedhands.com/blog/ on April 29, 2017.
[3] Megan Hunter-Kilmer. Pierced Hands.
[4] Catholic Online. Martyrs of Korea.
[5] Saint Kim Rosa. Stories of the Korean Martyrs. Accessed at https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=4740 on April 29, 2017.

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