Author Lee Sang-hoon's new work "Baekseo".. The hidden truth amidst the persecution of the Catholic Church in Joseon

*This content was translated by AI.

• [★New Book Introduction]

Author Lee Sang-hoon dramatized the 1801st Sinhae Persecution and the controversy surrounding Hwang Sayoung's Baekseo in the historical novel "Baekseo" (Book Walk). The work centers on the behind-the-scenes details surrounding the letter Hwang Sayoung intended to send to the Pope, set against a backdrop where Queen Jeongsun and the Noron Byeokpa faction seized power and used the persecution of Catholics as a means to eliminate political rivals.

The novel depicts how Hwang Sayoung, the nephew-in-law of Jeong Yak-yong, hid in a cave in Baeron village, wrote a long letter, and failed to send it to the Beijing Diocese, resulting in the seizure of the Baekseo by the Uigeumbu. It also describes the background of surviving Catholics hiding in remote areas and carrying on the lineage of the Catholic Church after hundreds of Catholics were executed during the Sinhae Persecution and the Noron Sipa faction and Nam-in forces were nearly annihilated.

Hwang Sayoung's Baekseo is presented as a letter detailing the situation of the Joseon church since 1785 (the 9th year of King Jeongjo), the persecution, the progression of the Sinhae Persecution, biographies of martyrs, and the activities and death of Father Zhou Wenmo. At the end of the Baekseo, measures to rebuild the ruined Joseon church and secure freedom of faith are mentioned, a point that becomes the core of conflicting evaluations surrounding Hwang Sayoung.

The controversial proposals include urging the Emperor of Qing China to force Joseon to accept Western missionaries, incorporating Joseon as a province of Qing China for supervision, or sending hundreds of Western warships and tens of thousands of soldiers to coerce the Joseon government into allowing freedom of faith. The Jeongsun Wanghu regime that seized the Baekseo executed those involved and intensified the persecution of Catholics.

The Joseon government, fearing that a copy of the Baekseo would be delivered to Qing China and reveal the execution of Father Zhou Wenmo, instructed the Dongjisa envoy dispatched in October 1801 to also serve as Jinjusacheon (Chenju-sa). They submitted a so-called "Gabaekseo" (Fake Letter), which condensed the content of Hwang Sayoung's Baekseo into 16 lines and 922 characters, along with a Tosa-jumun (Memorial to Exorcise Evil) explaining the legitimacy of the Sinhae Case. This document omitted all references to Qing China and recorded only the request for dispatching Western troops.

The original Baekseo was seized in 1801, stored at the Uigeumbu, and later acquired by Bishop Mutel, the then-diocesan bishop, when old documents were destroyed during the Gabo Reform of 1894. It was subsequently delivered to the Pope in Rome during the beatification ceremony for 79 Korean martyrs in 1925 and is currently kept at the Vatican's Museum of Folklore.

The work explores the issue that Hwang Sayoung's Baekseo should not be distorted from the perspective of the "Gabaekseo" edited by the Joseon government, alongside its historical background. A major theme is the context in which Hwang Sayoung's faith, received from Lee Byuk at Gwangam, was passed on to his wife Jeong Myeong-ryeon Maria and his cousin Jeong Hasang, becoming a leaven for the revival of the Korean Catholic Church shattered by persecution.

Author Lee Sang-hoon has worked as a film director and broadcast PD. He studied at Sungkyunkwan University and later at the Graduate School of Public Administration, Seoul National University. He entered broadcasting as a KBS public recruitment PD and has experience participating in SBS's launch and working at Channel A Je Jak-bon (Director). His first novel "The Man in Hanbok" was produced as a musical, and his third novel "Kingdom of Kim" won the 16th Ryu Ju-hyunMoon Hak-sang-eul (수상).

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*This content was translated by AI.