The Birth of Korean Catholicism

Friends, there is so much to write about concerning the history of the Korean Catholic Church and its noble martyrs and saints, but I will start with a brief overview of its early history, highlighting a few saints which I'll write more about on my Patreon.

The birth of Catholicism in Korea happened as a result of the human search for God, that innate draw that God has placed in every person.

In the late 1700s, the dominant ideologies in Korea were Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism. Scholars subscribing to these ideologies would attach themselves to different political factions and dispute with other factions. However, a few scholars of the time abandoned this fractious political life and retreated to the countryside to research more deeply into the question of Truth and the human condition. 

This group of scholars met in Chonjinam and Chuo-sa (sometimes referred to as the Bethlehem of Korea). There they studied the work of Yi Ik, a philosopher who had studied "The True Doctrine of God" by Matteo Ricci, a Jesuit missionary in Bejing, China. Through the work of Yi Ik, they were introduced to this new religion of Catholicism. 

In search of more books about this religion, the group sent Yi Sung-hun as part of an official delegation to China in 1783. Yi Sung-hun sought out a Catholic church and received instruction in the faith for several months. He was baptized and given the Christian name Peter. 

Memorial of James Kwon Sang-yon and Paul Yun Chi-chung, 
first Korean Catholic martyrs

Peter Yi Sung-hun returned to Korea with catechisms and gifts, and he in turn baptized Yi Byok, along with several others including two men who would become the first Catholic martyrs in Korea: James Kwon Sang-yon and Paul Yun Chi-chung. They were arrested and killed for not following Confucian funeral rites that conflicted with the Catholic faith (ancestor worship). You'll see this recurring theme in the waves of persecutions that I'll write about later.

Also baptized around that time was Yi Chon-ch'ang, a great-uncle of the future St. Andrew Kim Taegon, Korea's first native priest who is the patron saint of Korea.

Yi Byok was also instrumental in preaching the Faith to the Chong brothers, one of whom, Augustine Chong Yak-jong, himself became a saint as he built up the Korean Catholic church with much dedication and suffering.

His son,  Chong Ha-sang, who was baptized Paul, later picked up his father's work of building up the Korean Church, and he was largely responsible for bringing the first missionary priest to Korea in 1836. Both Augustine Chong Yak-jong and his son St. Paul Chong Ha-sang were ultimately martyred, along with hundreds of others, for their refusal to give up their faith.

Thus, by the time the first missionary priests arrived in Korea in 1836, the Catholic faith was alive and had already suffered waves of persecution. The Faith flourished among the lay people who had discovered the ultimate Truth in the scriptures and teachings of Catholicism. 

Reference:  The Korean Martyr Saints: Founders of a Church, Han Jong-oh, St. Hwang Son Tu Luke Publishing House, 1995)