How Korea is home to at least 10,000 martyrs

Thousands of Christians were martyred in Korea, in a span of less than 100 years, helping to firmly establish the Christian faith for future generations.

While much emphasis is put on the early Roman martyrs, there are other countries in the world where many have died for their Christian faith.

Korea is one such place: In Korea, at least 10,000 died for being faithful to Jesus Christ.

Witness of Korean martyrs

St. John Paul II canonized many of these martyrs in a ceremony on May 6, 1984. During his homily he pointed out the remarkable witness of these martyrs:

This fledgling Church, so young and yet so strong in faith, withstood wave after wave of fierce persecution. Thus, in less than a century, it could already boast of some 10,000 martyrs. The years 1791, 1801, 1827, 1839, 1846 and 1866 are forever signed with the holy blood of your Martyrs and engraved in your hearts.

He explained how the current practice of the faith in Korea is rooted in the witness of these martyrs:

The splendid flowering of the Church in Korea today is indeed the fruit of the heroic witness of the Martyrs. Even today, their undying spirit sustains the Christians in the Church of silence in the North of this tragically divided land … through this Liturgy of Canonization the Blessed Korean Martyrs are inscribed in the list of the Saints of the Catholic Church. These are true sons and daughters of your nation, and they are joined by a number of missionaries from other lands. They are your ancestors, according to the flesh, language, and culture. At the same time they are your fathers and mothers in the faith, a faith to which they bore witness by the shedding of their blood.

St. John Paul II gave a few examples of these martyrs and how courageous they were under persecution:

Listen to the last words of Teresa Kwon, one of the early Martyrs: “Since the Lord of Heaven is the Father of all mankind and the Lord of all creation, how can you ask me to betray him? Even in this world anyone who betrays his own father or mother will not be forgiven. All the more may I never betray him who is the Father of us all.”

The flourishing of Christianity on the Korean peninsula is due in large part to the example of these martyrs, who boldly proclaimed their faith in Jesus Christ in the face of death.