Kang Wansuk (姜完淑, 1760 – 2 July 1801 (22nd day of the 5th lunar month)) was a Catholic martyr who was executed during the Sinyu Persecution of 1801. Her baptismal name was Columba, and she was the first female president of the Korean Church.1 Born into a yangban family in the Naepo region of Chungcheong Province, she became a Catholic through the evangelization of a relative. In 1795, she offered her home as a hiding place for the fugitive missionary Zhou Wenmo and then aided his evangelical work for six years.2 Under the social moral norms of the time, it required great courage for a separated woman to admit an unrelated man into her home, and in an era when persecution of Catholicism was severe following the Sinhae Persecution, sheltering a fugitive of state was considered an extremely dangerous act. Not only did she provide the missionary with a hiding place and base of activity, but she also assisted his work and carried out bold evangelization, bringing Catholicism to court women, including the wife and daughter-in-law of the royal Prince Eunon. She was arrested during the Sinyu Persecution in 1801 and died as a martyr later that year in July. In 2014, she was declared Blessed in recognition of her contributions and exemplary faith.3
Life
Birth
She was born into a yangban family in Naepo, Chungcheong Province,4 and became the second wife of Hong Ji-yeong, a man from Deoksan (present-day Yesan County, South Chungcheong Province).
Conversion to Catholicism
After marriage, she became a Catholic through the evangelization of a relative who had the baptismal name Paul. It is said that she remarked, "God is the Lord of heaven (天主), so the name of the religion, Catholicism (天主敎), is correct."5 In 1791, during the Sinhae Persecution, she brought food to fellow Christians imprisoned and cared for them, and was herself detained, but she was soon released because she was a woman of a yangban household.6 Afterwards, she moved to Seoul together with her son from her first marriage, Hong Pil-ju (Philip), as well as her mother-in-law and daughter. Regarding this, there are views that her husband, who was burdened by his wife's Catholic faith, separated from her, and that Kang Wansuk herself moved to Seoul to escape the persecution of Catholics. The drama Martyr Kang Wansuk, produced by Catholic Peace Broadcasting, follows the former view.
Providing shelter to the missionary
The first missionary
As Catholicism was persecuted following the Sinhae Persecution, many believers from the yangban class apostatized.7 The gap was filled by the middle class, and despite persecution, the number of believers grew to about 4,000 by around 1794.8 Bishop Gouvea of the Chinese Church resumed the dispatch of missionaries that had been suspended due to the Sinhae Persecution.8 In December 1794, the Chinese missionary Father Zhou Wenmo, aided by Joseon believers Ji Hwang and Yun Yu-il, crossed the frozen Yalu River and secretly entered the country.9 Early the following year, Zhou Wenmo infiltrated Seoul and lived in seclusion at the house of Choe An-gil, where he carefully carried out his activities; however, after being informed on by the apostate Han Yeong-ik, an arrest order was issued on 27 June of the same year.9
Protecting the missionary
Police officers raided the house of interpreter Choe In-gil, but Choe In-gil posed as Father Zhou Wenmo, was arrested in his place, and helped the priest escape.10 Zhou Wenmo succeeded in escaping but had no place to hide. Kang Wansuk, learning of this, courageously hid Father Zhou Wenmo in her own house.9 It was a wise move that took advantage of the custom that police could not arbitrarily conduct searches of a woman's home. Although she lived with her mother-in-law, she was separated from her husband, and bringing an unrelated man into the house required great courage under the social norms of the time.11 According to Claude Charles Dallet's Histoire de l'Église de Corée, Kang Wansuk first hid Father Zhou Wenmo in a storeroom, but then, because her mother-in-law, who cared for her daughter-in-law, gave permission, he was moved to Kang Wansuk's house.
Thanks to Kang Wansuk's help, Father Zhou Wenmo was able to remain in hiding for six years and carry out evangelization in secret. Father Zhou Wenmo was active with Kang Wansuk's house as his base, including presiding over Easter Mass. Kang Wansuk, appointed as female president by Father Zhou Wenmo, evangelized court women and female servants, including Lady Song, the wife of the declined royal Prince Eunon, and her daughter-in-law Lady Shin.12 Having gained confidence through extensive secret evangelization, Father Zhou Wenmo, with Kang Wansuk's assistance, also undertook evangelization in the provinces. As a result, within five years the number of Catholic believers increased from 4,000 to 10,000.13
Christian apologist
As an intellectual, Kang Wansuk was also a Christian apologist who explained Christian doctrine through reason, by debating dogma with eminent Confucian scholars.14 Catholic theologian Do Hui-ju argues that the reason Kang Wansuk worked diligently in the church was that, having failed to find joy in the world, she found hope in the Kingdom of God. She found in the Gospel the joy that the world could not give. Do Hui-ju describes her activities as follows.
Martyrdom
Kang Wansuk was arrested during the Sinyu Persecution of 1801 after being informed on by the apostate Kim Yeo-sam. Father Zhou Wenmo, who had been hiding in her house for about three months, escaped because Kang Wansuk bought him time by claiming, "Father Zhou Wenmo was once in our house, but now his whereabouts are unknown." Even while being tortured, she evangelized the constables by citing the Christian doctrines and the teachings of saints such as Confucius, and her faith was so profound that the constables marveled, "This woman is not a human being, but a god (神)," and "This woman is a learned woman."15 Three months after her imprisonment, on 2 July 1801 (22nd day of the 5th lunar month), she was beheaded at Seosomun together with the court ladies she had evangelized, and attained martyrdom. Even at the moment of death, she preached to her son Hong Pil-ju about the "blessings of heaven," showing a strong conviction that her death was not in vain. After her martyrdom, Hong Pil-ju (Philip), her son from her first marriage, also followed his stepmother Kang Wansuk in martyrdom.
In 2014, during his visit to Korea, Pope Francis declared Kang Wansuk Blessed in recognition of her contributions to the Korean Church and her exemplary faith.3
Culture
Drama
Kang Wansuk's life as a martyr became the subject of plays and dramas by the Korean Church. In 2007, Peace Broadcasting produced a drama on the life of Kang Wansuk, following a drama on the life of Kim Dae-geon, the first Korean Catholic priest in the history of the Korean Church. The cast included actors Yang Mi-kyung (as Kang Wansuk) and Cha Kwang-soo (as Father Zhou Wenmo).
Novel Mongmin Simseo
In the novel Mongmin Simseo, a story about Jeong Yak-yong written by author Hwang In-kyung, Kang Wansuk is also portrayed as a wise woman who assisted Father Zhou Wenmo.16 Because Father Zhou Wenmo was Chinese, Korean cuisine did not suit his taste, and he could not eat even a single bowl of the meals served to him. Seeing this, Yun Yu-il (John), who was also a Catholic believer, worried, and Father Zhou Wenmo comforted him, saying, "Brother John, it is not your fault, so please do not worry too much. I have heard that the Qing people enjoy rich food, so I will find a way." He then fried and seasoned pork and chicken and served them at the midday meal of Father Zhou Wenmo, who had finished the midday prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours (a service offered at set times in the Catholic and Anglican churches). Having eaten food that suited his taste and regained his strength, Father Zhou Wenmo adapted well to Korean traditions, eating rice with green peppers.
References
Footnotes