The Face of Manchuria, Korea, & Russian Turkestan by Emily Georgiana Kemp

The extraordinarily rapid progress of Protestant missions in Korea makes one turn with interest to the past history of the country in its attitude towards Christianity, as shown in the work of the Roman Catholics. This history is a very unique one, and is characterised by some of the same features as we see to-day; the zeal, self-sacrifice, and faith, the independent spirit which makes the Koreans able, if need be, to carry on the work without foreign aid, are to be seen on every page of its history. No church has had to pass through more ceaseless and relentless persecution for the first century of its existence, nor has counted more heroic martyrs among its members. The story has been fully told in Père Dallet's _Histoire de l'Église de Korée_, and I was so impressed with that work that I have ventured to make a brief sketch of it, in the hope that it will be of interest to those who are unable to study that history for themselves.

The first introduction of Christianity into Korea was a strange one. In 1592 Japan sent an army of 200,000 men to conquer the country, and a large number of these men had been selected for the purpose because they were Roman Catholics, and Japan was anxious to get rid of them. The great general known as Taïko Sama thought this was an excellent method of extermination, but when the war was prolonged, the Christian admiral of the fleet sent to Japan for priests and commenced missionary work. Many converts were baptized, and things looked promising, when the sudden recall of the army to Japan, followed by a fierce persecution, completely stamped out the work in both countries.