The Hwang Sa Byeong (황사평) Catholic cemetery and Catholic massacre of 1901 led by Lee Jae-Soo (이재수), Jeju, South Korea

Another dark chapter in the history of Korea’s tourist island
Story by Jim Saunders | Photo courtesy of Jeju Cybermuseum
Long known as a place for internal exile and persecution, the turn of the 19th century saw the flames of rebellion ignite once again on Jeju with Lee Jae Soo’s (이재수) uprising against an increasing number of Catholic missionaries and native converts spreading out across the island. The result: a massacre of some three hundred Catholics and the creation of Jeju’s first Catholic cemetery, which remains with us to this modern day.












