Haemi International Sanctuary

Beside the Haemi Stream in Seosan, the Haemi International Sanctuary stands where more than 1,000 Catholics, brought from across Chungcheong Province during the late-Joseon persecutions, were executed and buried alive. It lies just over a kilometre from Haemieupseong Fortress, so you can follow the martyrs' last journey from the fortress prison and execution ground to this field known as Yeosutgol.

History: the Haemi garrison and Yeosutgol

In early Joseon, Haemi was a strategic base housing the Chungcheong army command. Even after the headquarters moved to Cheongju in 1651, the garrison commander, who also served as Haemi magistrate, had the power to execute state offenders, and his jurisdiction stretched from the Naepo region of Chungcheong to Pyeongtaek in Gyeonggi. Catholics arrested anywhere in that area were therefore taken to Haemieupseong. Executions first took place outside the fortress's west gate, but when the 1866 Byeongin Persecution filled the prisons, officials began digging large pits by the Haemi Stream and burying believers alive. Over the persecution, which lasted until 1872, the number killed here is estimated at more than 1,000.

The name Yeosutgol

As they were led away, the prisoners prayed aloud, calling "Yesu Maria" (Jesus, Mary). To the villagers this sounded like "yeosu meori", fox head in the local dialect, and the field came to be called Yeosutgol, the valley of the fox.

Creating the sanctuary

In 1935 Father Barraux of Seosan parish gathered eyewitness testimony and exhumed some of the martyrs' remains, bringing the killings to light. The remains were kept at the Sanghong-ri mission station until 1995, when they were brought back here, and the sanctuary was completed in 2003 with funds raised by Catholics. In 2014 the Holy See beatified three of the Haemi martyrs, and Pope Francis visited the sanctuary during his trip to Korea in August that year.

What to see

• Haemi Martyrs' Tower: a 16 m tower visible from all over the site.
• Tomb of the Unknown Martyrs: a round grave mound honouring those whose names were never recorded.
• Sanctuary church and memorial hall: with the exhumed remains and material on the persecutions.
• Haemi Stream bank: the streamside field where the burials took place, now lined with a walking path.

Nearby

• Haemieupseong Fortress: about 1 km away. The site of the prison, the pagoda tree said to have been used for torture and the execution stone outside the west gate complete the story.
• Haemi International Pilgrimage Route: starting at the sanctuary, it leads to Hanti Pass, the road over which believers from the Naepo region were marched to Haemi.

Tripto tips

• Visiting: the grounds are open at all times and free. Check the memorial hall's own opening hours separately.
• Getting there: the address is 13 Seongji 1-ro, Haemi-myeon, Seosan. The large car park (about 130 spaces for cars) makes driving easy, and you can walk on to Haemieupseong.
• Etiquette: masses and pilgrimages take place throughout the day, so move quietly in the church and around the graves.
• Time needed: 1 hour is enough for the sanctuary itself; combined with Haemieupseong, plan half a day.