About this place
Green Rock Martyrdom Site is a memorial site of the Diocese of Jeonju that recalls Catholics executed near a rock beside the Jeonjucheon River during the persecutions. The diocese explains that Nam Myeong-hui, eldest son of John Nam Jong-sam who was martyred at Saenamteo during the Byeongin Persecution, and a son of Hong Bong-ju, who was martyred with Nam Jong-sam, were hanged here and then cast into the river. Rather than a monumental building, the riverside place where the event occurred is itself the heart of the memorial.
Together with Jeondong Church and other martyr sites in central Jeonju, this place shows how late-Joseon persecutions brought suffering not only to individual believers but to entire families. The story of Nam Myeong-hui, arrested while still young and forced to wait for execution, makes the tragedy especially concrete. Visitors are invited to reflect not only on the martyrs' deaths but also on the historical reality of families being torn apart and lives lost because of faith, and on the witness that faith left behind.
History & origins
During the Byeongin Persecution of 1866, John Nam Jong-sam was martyred at Saenamteo. His father, Nam Sang-gyo, and his eldest son, Nam Myeong-hui, were then transferred to the provincial office in Gongju. Under the law of the time, a grandfather and grandson were not to be confined in the same prison, so fourteen-year-old Nam Myeong-hui was sent again, this time to the provincial office in Jeonju. Because faith had been passed down through generations in the family, the effects of persecution likewise extended far beyond one individual.
While imprisoned in Jeonju, Nam Myeong-hui's execution was postponed until he reached the age then regarded as adulthood. According to the Diocese of Jeonju, he was hanged at Green Rock the following year and his body was thrown into the Jeonjucheon River. A son of Hong Bong-ju, who had been martyred together with Nam Jong-sam, is also remembered as having been hanged here and cast into the water.
Green Rock consequently became a witness to the reality that state persecution extended even to minors and the children of martyrs. Nam Myeong-hui's family is remembered for producing martyrs across three generations. The significance of the present site lies not in recreating an execution ground but in preserving the actual riverside setting where visitors can remember their deaths and the faith of their families.
Korean Catholic Places Encyclopedia
Chorokbawi Martyrdom Site: history and architecture
Read about the place's history, architecture, people, and events in the Korean Catholic Places Encyclopedia.
Encyclopedia articles are currently available in Korean.
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- 한국천주교주교회의 온라인 주소록
Diocese
Jeonju Diocese (Diocese of Jeonju)
Official website: https://www.jcatholic.or.kr
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