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18 EASTERN HORIZON | FEATURE
Cheonjinam Hermitage and
Jueosa Temple: The Forgotten
Sacrifices of Buddhist Monks by
the Korean Catholics
By Emi Hayakawa, BTN Korea
Currently at the Cheonjinam memorial site located
in Toechon-myeon Village in Gwangju, Gyeonggi-do
(Gyeonggi Province) a large statue of the Virgin Mary
stands at the entrance, with the inscription “The
Statue of Virgin Mary for World Peace,” by Pope John
Paul II, and the grand tombs of five Catholic martyrs
exalted where the Buddhist dharma hall of Cheonjinam
hermitage once stood.
Emi Hayakawa is the Head of Global Operations at The information board that explains the origin and
Buddhist Television Network (BTN) headquartered history of Cheonjinam to the public only states that
in Seoul, Republic of Korea. She is also involved this is the birthplace of Catholicism in Korea, that great
in BTN WORLD, a registered non-profit religious Confucian scholars extensively studied Catholicism at
organization which propagates Korean Buddhist this site.
teachings globally. She has contributed a
chapter, ‘South Korea: Compassionate Approach There is no trace or inclusion of the Buddhist monks
to Journalism - Buddhist True Network’, in the who were ruthlessly executed for treason to protect
book, Mindful Communication for Sustainable the group of young Catholic scholars, nor the mention
of the Buddhist temple complex which was burnt
Development: Perspectives from Asia, edited by
down as it was labeled as an illegal site of anti-
Kalinga Seneviratne (2018, New Delhi, India: Sage governmental ideologies.
Publications India Pvt Ltd).
Even the original Chinese character of Cheonjinam
Hermitage, which portrays “hermitage” (庵) has been
mis-recorded to (菴), which means “shrine.”
Cheonjinam Hermitage and Jueosa Temple, the ancient
Buddhist hermitage and temple now exists only in
historical documents and ancient maps of the mid-
Joseon Dynasty.
Sowing the Seeds of Korean Catholicism in the
Joseon Dynasty
From the early Joseon Dynasty, even long before
