Hwaseong Jeam-ri 3·1 Movement Patriotic Martyrs Site

The 1919 March First Movement was an occasion that clearly revealed the status of Protestantism in the Korean nationalist movement. Protestantism played a leading role in the March First Movement, and a significant portion of the large and small independence demonstrations that occurred across the country were led by Protestants. Accordingly, the damage caused by the ruthless suppression of the Japanese colonial rule was also extensive, and a representative example of this is the Jeam-ri Church in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province. On the afternoon of April 15, 1919, Japanese police gathered believers at Jeam-ri Church, then closed the doors, set the church on fire, and indiscriminately opened fire. This was a brutal retaliation against Jeam-ri Church, which had played a leading role in the independence demonstration that occurred on April 5. Founded in August 1905 under the leadership of Ahn Jong-hu, the village head of Jeam-ri, the church had an unusually strong unity due to the nature of the clan village, and this characteristic was also evident during the March First Movement. In April 1959, a memorial tower for the March First Movement martyrs, inscribed with the calligraphy of President Syngman Rhee, was erected at the site. In September 1970, a new church and a bereaved family hall were built with donations of 10 million yen sent by Japanese Christians and social organizations as an act of atonement. Additionally, in September 1982, a large-scale excavation of remains was conducted by the government, and the remains were buried in a cemetery prepared next to the church. In July of the following year, a memorial hall and a new memorial tower were erected.