Before 1876

Before 1876 : under construction

ROMAN CATHOLICISM
1592-1599 The Korean-Japanese War

1593 Gregorio de Céspedes (1550-1611), a Portuguese Jesuit priest in Japan, accompanied the Japanese forces commanded by Daimyo Konishi Yukinaga, himself a Christian, and did missionary work among the Japanese soldiers in Pusan from December 27, 1593 to April 1594 . There is little evidence that he interacted directly with the Korean population, but it is believed that he did proselytize among Koreans held captive by the Japanese. Among Around 300.000 Korean prisoners of war who were brought as slaves to Nagasaki, some were converted to Christianity.
1603 0 tianzhu
Matteo Ricci, worked in Beijing from 1601, published 天主實義Tianzhu shiyi.

1610 a Korean Church in Nagasaki was established with about 300 Korean members.

1611 chibongyusolYi Sugwang visited Beijing and learned basic teachings of Christianity and western science from Ricci. Yi’s encyclopedia, Chibong Yusŏl, mentioned Ricci’s books.
1617 1617 antonio coreaa Antonio Correa (1578?-1626), one of Francesco Carletti’s converted Korean pupils in Nagasaki went together with Carletti to Holland and then Rome, Italy and lived there–the first Korean to visit Europe. Later the Vatican sent Antonio Correa to Manchuria to reenter Korea as a missionary, but he was not successful.
Rubens’s “Man in Korean Costum” (picture here) at the Getty Center is not Antonio Correa.

1626 Vincent Kwon was martyred in Nagasaki. 13 Korean martyrs among 205.

1636 Qing’s Second Invasion to Chosŏn. 100,000 Manchu Chinese soldiers attacked Seoul. Chosŏn surrendered after fierce resistance. 200,000 Korean captives sent to China.

1644 0 sohyun Crown Prince Sohyŏn as a Hostage to Beijing. Learned Western science and Catholicism from Adam Schall. Prince brought Catholic books and sacred things to Seoul as well as Chinese Catholic eunuchs and servants. However, he was poisoned to death. Strong anti-Qing sentiment of the court and people. Policy of anti-Catholicism and seclusion continued for the next two centuries.

1783

1784 1784 bsptism Yi Sûnghun was baptized in Beijing
   Myôngdong Church in Seoul was organized
1791 0 1791 Yun Chich’ung and Kwôn Sangyôn were executed for ancestor worship

1801 Sinyu pakhae, the first great persecution of Roman Catholicism.
Hwang sayông’s silk letter to Bishop in Beijing was detected.
Chinese priest Zhu Wenmo was martyred with other Koreans

1839 imbert September 21 Bishop Imbert (who came to Korea in 1837) of Société des Missions Étrangères de Paris (MEP) was martyred

1846 00 kim tae gun The first Korean priest Kim Taegôn was martyred on September 6

1864 p772_87.eps Le Depart, 1868, by C. Coubertin
Four French priests were sent to Korea by the Paris Foreign Missions Society
They were martyred in 1866.

1865-66 Great Persecution of Roman Catholics by Taewôngun
  dorie 1864Henry Dorie was one of the martyrs

PROTESTANTISM
1628 Jan Janse Weltevree (Pak Yŏn) shipwrecked and lived in Korea
1653 Hendrick Hamel and 26 Dutch Sailors shipwrecked and stayed in Korea until 1667
16880 hamel Hamel’s Travelogue was published
See recent articles on Hamel: SJEAS (April 2007).
1818 1818 basil hall Basil Hall visited Korea
1832 0 karl_gutzlaff Gutzlaff visited Korea (Kodae Island)
1854 0 seal Taiping Uprising in China
1866 kimhaksu thomas 2
General Sherman Incident in Pyongyang (Picture by Kim Haksu)
  0 r.j.thomas5Robert J. Thomas was killed.
See “Affairs in Korea,” Sydney Morning Herald, Monday 4 March 1867, page 3.