Majae [마 재 ]

This is a point of land where produced into the upper stream of Han River,between PalDang and YangSu-Ri
Here is the Jung Brothers were born and grew up.Similar in name,they were  
The eldest Yak-Hyun Yka-Jon ,Yak-Jong (Augustine) and Yak-Yong(John Baptist)
In the ShinYu persecution of 1801, Jung Yak-Jun was condemned to exile,where he died.

Jung Yak-Jong,the father of Saint Paul Jung Ha-Sang and the chairman of the MyungDo Hoe( a confraternity of christian doctrines),was beheaded outside the small west gate in Seoul.
Jung Yak-Yong escaped death by apostatizing and was condamned to exile in Kang Jin,South-western.
Majae is not far from Seoul.The scholars like Yi  Byok, Yi Sung-Hun ,Hwang Sa-Young Yun Chi-Jung and others could have easily traveled there by boat.

Jung Ha-Sang Jwrote " The Letter to the prime Minister " This letter,containing 3,300 words,is a book of apologetivs,the first of its kind in the church history of korea.
It dealt with God,souls,the ten commandments,etc.
It eloquently proved the existence of God by nature,conscience and the scriptures.

Many year late,pope Gregory XVI saw this book and was amazed at its veracity and eloquence.
This letter written by Jung Ha-Sang ,and the statement, made by Yun Chi-Jung are still considered the best documents of apologetic.
Yun became the first martyr of the noble class when he refused to offer a sacrifice to his deceased mother.
Dasan Jung Yak-Yong practiced his faith for ten years.He did not leave the church even during the persecution of 1791.
which was started because the catholics refused to offer sacrifices to their ancestors.However,entangled in a partisan strife,he was demoted to a lower rank.In order to pacify his opponents,he wrote the king a letter,stating that he had broken away from the catholic church.
During the persecution of 1801, he renounced his faith and was exiled to KangJin.It lasted 20 years.

Ku san [구 산]

This place is a village on hill located along the upper part of the Han River.It gains its name from the fact that the landscape resemble the back of a turtle
Chinese Priest Pacificus Yu Bang-Je gave the last rites to Dasan .Jung Yak-Yong an important Scholar at that time.
Also French priest to enter Korea, Father Pierre Maubant,studied the language in a house owned by Anthony Kim Sung-Woo .
Late,the intrepid landlord was arrested and charged with high treason for having kept foreigners in his house.

When the prosecutor demanded that he recant catholic doctrine," I am a catholic,I wish to die as a catholic "
He was severely beaten and died of strangulation at seoul prison.
His younger brother,Man-Jip and Mun-Jip were also martyred near their village,at NamHanSan Sung(mountain fortress)
Ku San was a center of the faith in the early days of the church in korea. and produced many martyrs.
Today,it is the source of numerous vocations to the priesthood and religious life.

NamHan San-Song [남한산성]

The mountain fortress,here is familiar from korean history as a place of refuse,particularly for the nobility.
In 1637,they fled here to escape the turmoil of the ManJu War in China.
The Church history shows that it also had other usage.In the GiHae persecution of 1839, and Byong In persecution of 1866,catholics from many of vincinity were martyred at this place.
And Kim Duk-Sim, Kim Yun-sim brothers and Choi Chi-Hyon  were martyred and buried in Ku San their home village

Among many were Paul Jung Un (1804-1866) from Dannae Kyongki Province,practicing his faith faithfully for more than 20 years.some relatives,however,urged him to renounce his faith.
He heard that the police were coming to arrest him,but he did not run away.He was finally arrested and walked over in night 32 KM to NamHan San-Sung .
He was tortured severely but he refused to deny the king of kings.His hands were tied behind him,and executioners pure a couple of pieces of papar on his watered face to cause him suffocate to death
This area by the Han River,which includes ChonJin Am.MaJae,YangKun,Ku San and NamHanSanSung,is truly the Holy place of the korean Martyrs.