Page 175 - 영문 이성필성지순례여행

172 Jeolla-do Jeolla-do 173

157 Gurim Church 158 Sangwol Church

74-3 Gurim-ri, Hwawon-myeon, Haenam-gun 42 Sangwolsangni-gil, Haksan-myeon, Yeongam-gun

"Yeongam Gurim Church,
where 18 people were burnt
at the stake singing hymns.”

Yeongam is a place stained with the
blood of martyrdom. During the Korean
War, Yeongam was one of the important
Sangwol Church
bases of partisans with communist
ideology due to the rugged mountains
of Jangheung Yuchi area and Wolchul “Sangwol Church has the highest number of martyrs
Mountain. On October 4 of that year, in Yeongam-gun during the Korean War.”
the communist army came down to
Yeongam and tied 18 people including
Sangwol Church began on July 1, 1947 when Jin Sung-gu donated his house as a
Deacon Kim Bong-gyu of Gurim Church
chapel. The first religious worker was evangelist Shin Deok-cheol. Sangwol Church
and lock them up in a thatched house
had been praying and been passionate since the beginning of the Korean War.
on the side of the main street at the
During the Korean War, like other churches in Yeongam, it was severely persecuted
entrance to Donggurim-ri, and set a fire
by the Communist Party. Nevertheless, the believers did not bend their faith in the
on the house. hope of resurrection. Their persecutors included not only the communists who
All 18 people died. Even just before Gurim Churcn
invaded from the North, but also local communists who sympathized with them.
martyrdom, people sang hymns and
They brutally killed as many as 25 members of Sangwol Church with a gun knife
showed their unshakable faith by
and bamboo spear.
entrusting their souls to God. Until
the end of the war, the Communist
Party along with rightists imprisoned
the Christians and brutally killed them
through a people's court. The common
graves and memorials for martyrdom are
erected in front of Gurim High School.

Martyr Memorial
Martyr Memorial Stone Stone