Author Choi Kyung-pil Publishes 'Complete Martyrdom,' a History of Protestantism in Eastern Jeonnam

Summary of the First History of Suncheon Mission Church... Including Shrine Worship, Yeosun Incident, Denominational Split

Discovery of Pro-Japanese Pastor Supporting Shrine Worship... Analysis of the Martyrdom Truth of Brothers Son Dong-in and Don

Writer Choi Kyung-pil, who has long been active in the media industry in the Honam region, has attracted attention by publishing Complete Martyrdom (Asia Publishing), a history of the introduction of Protestantism in eastern Jeonnam.

This book is the first to organize the history of churches in the eastern Jeonnam region from 1894, when the American Southern Presbyterian missionary pioneer group set foot in Honam, until 1960.

Therefore, rather than being a simple church history book, it covers the period from the Japanese colonial era and the liberation period through the emergence of the Rhee Syngman regime, the Yeosu-Suncheon 10·19 Incident, and the Jeju 4·3 Incident, to the Korean War and the division process of the Korean church in the 1950s.

It uncovers the participation of Christians in eastern Jeonnam in the March 1st Movement and the involvement of Protestant figures such as pastors and elders in various modern historical events, the Protestant leaders in Jeonnam who collaborated with the Rhee Syngman regime, and the damage and activities of church members during the suppression of the Yeosu-Suncheon Incident.

In particular, it is expected to deliver a significant shock to the church community by exposing the reality of shrine worship, which Protestant denominations had long avoided, and newly analyzing the apostates of the Suncheon Presbytery through court rulings.

Attention is also drawn to the objective analysis of the true identity of Pastor Park Young-hee of Suncheon Central Church, who led the support for shrine worship at the time, the truth about the deaths of Pastor Son Yang-won’s two sons, Dong-in and Dong-shin, and the reexamination of the principled Pastor Lee Ki-poong.

Additionally, the book provides a fresh analysis and illumination of the unjust massacres that occurred amid political confrontations between two churches in Suncheon during the suppression of the Yeosu-Suncheon Incident, offering new topics for debate in the society and church community of eastern Jeonnam.

Writer Choi Kyung-pil.

Choi Kyung-pil stated, “After liberation, the Korean church neglected the promotion of shrine worship martyrs, partly because many church leaders at the time were not only pro-Japanese but also apostates in terms of faith,” adding, “Therefore, rather than shrine worship martyrs like Pastors Yang Yong-geun and Lee Ki-poong, Pastor Son Yang-won, who was killed by the People’s Army, was idolized as the ‘Atomic Bomb of Love.’”

He continued, “The deaths of the Son brothers, Dong-in and Dong-shin, were excessively distorted and promoted as a conflict between the leftists and Christianity, and the Rhee Syngman government used this as a tool to inject anti-communist ideology into Korean society,” expressing hope that “now the Korean church and the churches in eastern Jeonnam will practice Jesus’ teaching to ‘love your enemies’ and become instruments of peace.”

In a book review, local history researcher Park Byung-seop said, “Previous Protestant history books of eastern Jeonnam have dealt with the period after the establishment of the missionary department, neglecting churches that were already established before that. However, this book faithfully introduces the Beolgyo Muman-ri Church and Pastor Jeong Tae-in, a minister from the village, and through field surveys, it thoroughly identifies and conveys details such as poorly managed gravesites and church division situations, not relying solely on records.”

He added, “The part the author focused on is the reality of so-called martyrs, and the book details the martyrdom situations during shrine worship, the Yeosu-Suncheon 10·19 Incident, and the Korean War in the jurisdiction of the Sunseo Presbytery, which may come as a shock to those encountering these claims for the first time. Although Choi, as a devout believer, might have found it difficult to provoke the common claims of the church community, I hope the church seriously listens to the factual descriptions based on official records such as court rulings and presbytery documents, as well as recent academic research.”

The book includes an appendix that meticulously organizes the status of early churches recorded in the 1920 Presbyterian Church of Joseon records and a chronological table of Protestantism in eastern Jeonnam. It also provides timelines of the lives of Pastors Son Yang-won, Yang Yong-geun, Lee Ki-poong, and Hwang Bo-ik.

Choi Kyung-pil has worked as a reporter for monthly and local newspapers for several years and has been at the forefront of recording and uncovering local history.

As a Protestant himself, he has recently served as a working committee member of the Yeosu-Suncheon 10·19 Incident Truth Investigation Committee and is actively working as the secretary-general of the Yeosu-Suncheon 10·19 National Solidarity.

Choi has recently begun recording and writing the history of small rural churches and plans to publish works uncovering laypeople who dedicated themselves to building churches.

The book will be released nationwide through online bookstores starting on the 17th, and a commemorative worship service for the publication will be held at 2:30 p.m. on August 13 at Geumdang Nambu Church in Suncheon.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.