Catholic Archdiocese of Seoul / Facebook
South Korea’s Catholic Church recently commemorated the 100th anniversary of the beatification of 79 martyrs with a solemn Mass and new historical research, honoring all the Korean faithful who gave their lives for Christ during centuries of persecution.
More than 1,000 Catholics joined Archbishop Peter Soon-taick Chung of Seoul at the Seosomun Shrine July 5, the site where many of the martyrs met their deaths in the 1800s, UCA News reported.
“Even in the trials of persecution, they never abandoned their faith in the Lord,” the archbishop said. “Their endurance deepened their faith, which ultimately bore fruit as true hope that overcame even death.”
The 79 martyrs were killed during the Gihae (1839) and Byeong-o (1846) persecutions and were beatified by Pope Pius XI on July 5, 1925. Their sacrifice laid the groundwork for the canonization of 103 Korean martyrs in 1984 by Pope John Paul II. Many were executed at Seosomun, the Joseon Dynasty’s official execution site, which has become hallowed ground for Korean Catholics.
In honor of the anniversary, the Seoul Archdiocesan Martyrs Elevation Committee published “The Documentation of the Gihae and Byeong-o Persecutions,” a report compiled from historical records.
The report draws heavily on primary sources such as the “Annals of the Joseon Dynasty, the Diary of the Royal Secretariat,” and government archives, according to Archbishop Chung.
“Even though these were records written by the persecutors, the courageous faith and deep conscience of the martyrs stand out all the more clearly within them,” he said.
Father Thomas Choi Yang-eop, who translated an earlier version of these accounts into Latin in 1846, helped pave the way for their eventual recognition by the Holy See. The new report aims to support continued research and make this history accessible not only to scholars and experts but to the wider Church.
As part of the centennial events, the Seosomun Shrine History Museum also unveiled “Anima Mundi – Souls of the World,” a special exhibition featuring more than 270 artifacts contributed by 16 Korean museums and monasteries, alongside rare items loaned from the Vatican’s Ethnological Museum.
The Archdiocese of Seoul described the exhibit as a way to deepen understanding of Korea’s Catholic heritage and inspire a spirit of reconciliation in today’s world.
The exhibition, it noted, “encourage[s] reflection on how respect, dialogue, and peaceful coexistence among nations remain as essential today as they were in the time of Korea’s early witnesses of faith.”
