Modern Korean Martyrs

[Centennial Special Feature – With the Church, With the Nation] Selection of 215 Modern Korean Martyrs as reported in the Korean Times.

“A list has been compiled of Korean ‘modern martyrs’ who sacrificed their lives to bear witness to their faith and conscience amidst the turbulent modern history of Korea, including the Korean War. On December 1, the Standing Committee of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea met and decided to finalize—in English—a list of 215 Korean ‘modern martyrs’ (prepared by the Secretariat using data gathered from dioceses, religious orders, and the Anglican Church of Korea) and send it to Rome. This list, compiled at the request of the Commission for New Martyrs under the Holy See’s Committee for the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000, will be combined with lists from churches worldwide in Rome to create a ‘Martyrology of Modern Times’ in time for the Great Jubilee. The compiled list comprises 209 Catholics and six Anglicans; it does not include Protestants.” 

The Third Millennium and the New Era of Martyrdom

It is no exaggeration to say that the history of the Korean Church is a history of martyrdom—a sanctuary built upon the blood of martyrs. Yet, in the 20th century, Christians once again faced an era of persecution and martyrdom. This was a period marked by religious persecution that was more widespread and horrific than at any other time in human history. Events such as two world wars, the spread of totalitarian ideologies like communism and fascism, and conflicts with dictatorial regimes during the process of democratization demanded that countless Christians bear witness to their faith through their own blood. In preparation for the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000, Pope Saint John Paul II issued the apostolic letter *Tertio Millennio Adveniente*, in which he declared that "at the end of the second millennium, the Church has once again become a Church of martyrs." He urged local churches worldwide to identify witnesses of the faith who had shed their blood during the 20th century, compile a list of their names, and ensure they were remembered forever.

The Korean Church has achieved remarkable results in honoring early martyrs, notably with the canonization of 103 martyrs during Pope Saint John Paul II’s visit in 1984 and the beatification of 124 martyrs during Pope Francis’s visit in 2014. However, a challenge remained regarding the history of the Church: research into the "modern witnesses of the faith"—those who sacrificed their lives to uphold their beliefs amidst the turbulent modern history of the Japanese colonial period and the Korean War—had been relatively insufficient.

In response to the Holy See’s request, the Korean Church began an official investigation in 1997 to compile a martyrology of the 20th century. On December 1, 1998, the Standing Committee finalized the initial list of 215 Korean "modern martyrs" and submitted it to the Holy See on December 4. As the investigation continued, the names of 24 additional victims of the Korean War were submitted in two batches—on August 25 and December 10, 1999—bringing the total number of "modern martyrs" submitted by the Korean Church to the Committee for the New Martyrs (under the Great Jubilee Committee) to 239. 

Advancing the Beatification of Modern Martyrs

This list primarily focused on Christians martyred during the Korean War and the Jeju Persecution; it included six Anglican believers but did not include any Protestant believers. At the time (1998), the list was not considered final; it was understood that martyrs who had not yet been identified could be added, while those already on the list who did not meet the necessary criteria could be removed.

Of the 215 individuals on the list, the vast majority—162—were Korean, while 53 were foreign nationals. The largest group of foreigners came from Germany (29), followed by France (13), Ireland (6), the United States (3), and Belgium (2). Laypeople constituted the largest group at 121 (more than half the total), followed by 57 priests, 26 religious (men and women), 3 bishops, and 2 seminarians.

A breakdown of the 209 Catholic martyrs reveals the significant sacrifices made by members of religious orders. The Order of Saint Benedict had the highest number of martyrs (33), followed by the Paris Foreign Missions Society (12) and the Missionary Society of St. Columban (8). Among the religious sisters, the group includes four members of the Olivetan Benedictine Sisters, three from the Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres, two each from the Sisters of Our Lady of Perpetual Help and the Carmelite Sisters, and one from the Maryknoll Sisters.

The reason Germans constitute the overwhelming majority—29 out of the 53 foreign missionaries—is that Benedictine monks from the German St. Ottilien Congregation, who were active in North Korean regions such as Tokwon, Wonsan, and Hamhung, became prime targets of the communist regime and were dragged off to internment camps.

This list is based on two major historical events. The first involves the 51 Catholic believers who perished during the Sinchuk Incident (also known as the Jeju Catholic Persecution) on Jeju Island in 1901. This incident was a large-scale popular uprising fueled by public resentment against shamanistic beliefs, local power elites, and the exploitative tax collection practices of government officials; this discontent became intertwined with the misconduct of certain Catholic believers, resulting in a tragedy where approximately 600 believers were massacred at sites such as Gwandeokjeong Pavilion.

The second group consists of victims who were executed or died after being forced into internment camps by the North Korean communist regime, the invading People's Army, and leftist forces around the time of the Korean War. These individuals were not merely political victims; they can be regarded as quintessential modern martyrs who were killed—branded as "pro-American reactionary forces" or "imperialist stooges"—simply because they refused to renounce their Christian faith under a communist system that espoused materialistic atheism. 

Full-Scale Push for the Beatification and Canonization of Modern Martyrs

The compilation of the list of modern martyrs in 1998 was distinct from the beatification and canonization process pursued by the Korean Church itself. The 1998 initiative was part of a project by the Universal Church to commemorate "witnesses of faith" in anticipation of the Great Jubilee; the Korean Church used this as an opportunity to launch a formal canonical process for the beatification and canonization of modern martyrs.

Through its regular general assemblies in 2007 and 2009, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea (CBCK) resolved to consolidate the beatification inquiries regarding modern witnesses of faith under the jurisdiction of the CBCK’s Special Episcopal Committee for Beatification and Canonization. Concurrently, in 2007—two years prior to the centennial of its arrival in Korea—the Benedictine Abbey of Waegwan decided to independently pursue the beatification of its monks who had suffered heavy casualties in the Deokwon and Hamhung regions.

During the CBCK's consolidated process, the 1998 list of modern martyrs was significantly narrowed down to 81 individuals after applying strict criteria to verify martyrdom. In March of the following year, the cause was officially titled "Bishop Francis Borgia Hong Yong-ho and 80 Companions," and their photographs and names were released in August 2015.

Notably, out of the 51 victims of the *Sinchuk Gyoan* (the 1901 Jeju uprising/persecution), only one individual remained on the list while the others were excluded; this decision was made because the *Sinchuk Gyoan* involved complex factors characteristic of a popular uprising, making it difficult to attribute the victims' deaths solely to martyrdom in defense of the faith. Consequently, the cause for the beatification of "Bishop Francis Borgia Hong Yong-ho and 80 Companions"—promoted by the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea—and the cause for "Abbot Boniface Shin Sang-won and 37 Companions"—promoted by the Order of Saint Benedict—have both officially commenced; having completed the review process at the level of the Korean Church, they are now undergoing evaluation by the Holy See.