Choe Sang-rim( ko, 최상림) (17 November 1888 – 6 May 1945) was a

Korean independence movement The Korean independence movement was a military and diplomatic campaign to achieve the independence of Korea from Japan. After the Japanese annexation of Korea in 1910, Korea's domestic resistance peaked in the March 1st Movement of 1919, which ...

activist,

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

, and

educator A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...

during the Korea's independence movement.

Life

Born in

Gijang-gun Gijang County is a ''gun'', or county, located between Haeundae-gu and Ulsan in northern Busan, South Korea. History Gijang first appears under its current name in the annals of the year 757, during the Unified Silla period. At that time it wa ...

Dongrae Dongnae District is a '' gu'' in central Busan, South Korea. Administrative divisions It has a population of about 300,000, and an area of 16.7 square kilometers. It was once a separate city, the principal port of southeastern Korea. Numerous ...

on 17 November 1888, Choe graduated from

Pyongyang Pyongyang (, , ) is the capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is known as the "Capital of the Revolution". Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. According to the 2008 populatio ...

Missionary School ( ko, 평양신학교) in 1926, and became a priest for Dongraeeup Church. In 1933, he moved to Namhaeeup Church, and in 1937 became a President of

Gyeongsangnam-do South Gyeongsang Province ( ko, 경상남도, translit=Gyeongsangnam-do, ) is a province in the southeast of South Korea. The provincial capital is at Changwon. It is adjacent to the major metropolitan center and port of Busan. The UNESCO World H ...

Presbyterian Conference ( ko, 경상남도노회장). Starting from October 1938, Choe refused to participate in worship of the Japanese Emperor, which was required by law in the 1930s (see

Christianity in Korea The practice of Christianity in Korea is marginal in North Korea, but significant in South Korea, where it revolves around two of its largest branches, Protestantism and Catholicism, accounting for 8.6 millionAccording to figures compiled by ...

: Korean nationalism). He then initiated the movement of antagonism towards

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

ese

Shinto Shrine A is a structure whose main purpose is to house ("enshrine") one or more ''kami'', the deities of the Shinto religion. Overview Structurally, a Shinto shrine typically comprises several buildings. The '' honden''Also called (本殿, meani ...

worship by focusing on Namhae area. As the movement of antagonism towards Japanese

worship was prohibited by the Japanese colonial power during that time, Choe was eventually arrested and remanded in

prison along with other anti-Japanese Shrine worship activists. While still imprisoned, Choe succumbed on 6 May 1945 to the lasting effects he had endured while being tortured. In 1991, the

government of South Korea The Government of South Korea is the union government of the Republic of Korea, created by the Constitution of South Korea as the executive, legislative and judicial authority of the republic. The president acts as the head of state and is th ...

conferred the

Order of Merit for National Foundation The Order of Merit for National Foundation (Hangul: 건국훈장) is one of South Korea's orders of merit. It is awarded by the President of South Korea for "outstanding meritorious services in the interest of founding or laying a foundation for th ...

on Choe Sang-rim.

References

* Ministry of Patriots' and Veterans' Affairs (South Korea), https://web.archive.org/web/20130504203822/http://english.mpva.go.kr/ * The History of Korean Church's persecution ( ko, 한국교회박해사(韓國敎會迫害史)) (최훈, 예수교문서선교회), 1979 * The history of Korean religious faith experiences ( ko, 한국교회신앙체험사)(고택구편, 복음세계사), 1954 {{DEFAULTSORT:Choe, Sang-rim 1888 births 1945 deaths Korean priests Assassinated Korean politicians 20th-century executions by Japan Executed Korean people Korean Christians Recipients of the Order of Merit for National Foundation People executed by torture People from Busan Korean torture victims

Life

See also

References