Sinyu Persecution

Sinyu Persecution
Name	Sinyu Persecution
Date	1728
Place	Joseon
Causes	Suppression of Catholicism, factional conflict
Result	Execution and exile of converts, crackdown on Catholic community

Sinyu Persecution

The Sinyu Persecution was a 1728 state-sponsored crackdown in the Joseon dynasty that targeted Korean adherents of Roman Catholicism, leading to executions, exile, and confiscation of property. It intersected with factional politics involving the Yangban, Seonbi, and royal factions under King Yeongjo, producing lasting impacts on Korean religious demography and elite culture. The episode is central to studies of Catholic Church in Korea, Joseon dynasty politics, and East Asian responses to Western Christianity.

Background

The persecution occurred within the sociopolitical framework of the Joseon state and its literati factions such as the Noron, Soron, Namin, and Seoin. Influential thinkers and officials including Yi Ik, Jeong Yak-yong, and Kim Je-gyeom debated issues of ritual and loyalty amid tensions shaped by earlier events like the Gyeongjong succession and the aftermath of the Korean–Manchu relations. The arrival of texts by missionaries like Matteo Ricci and transmissions via Chinese converts connected Korean elites to works associated with Confucianism, Catholic doctrine, and Silhak reformist currents, producing converts among scholars, government officials, and military officers such as Seo Sang-don and Yi Byeok.

Events of the Sinyu Persecution

The crackdown unfolded after denunciations by officials aligned with conservative factions including figures from the Noron and Eumseong Yi clan, prompting arrests across regions such as Seoul, Jeolla Province, Gyeongsang Province, and Gangwon Province. Trials invoked statutes influenced by earlier legal codes like the Gyeongguk Daejeon and procedures employed by magistrates from Hanseong-bu and provincial offices. Notable sessions involved interrogators connected to the Uigeumbu and ministers in the Chunchugwan, producing public executions similar in method to sentences from the Sasang judicial tradition. The crackdown mirrored patterns seen in contemporaneous persecutions such as those against adherents during the Martyrdom of Juan Gaspard in neighboring regions.

Key Figures and Victims

Key persecutors included high-ranking officials drawn from the Noron and Royal Secretariat, while victims ranged from yangban converts like Jeong Hyeon-jo and Jeong Yak-jong to lower-ranking literati such as Park Seung-hyeon and Jang Seong-ryeol. Clerical intermediaries and catechists connected to contacts with Chinese clergy resembling members of the Paris Foreign Missions Society and teachings circulated by Giuseppe Castiglione-linked sources also faced repression. Several victims were associated with scholarly circles around Seongho Yi Ik and the Silhak school, while family networks included members of the Andong Kim clan and the Pungsan Hong clan.

Political and Social Causes

The persecution reflected elite anxiety about religious heterodoxy confronting the Confucian order upheld by institutions such as the Seowon academies and the Hall of Worthies (Jiphyeonjeon), and intersected with factional rivalries involving Prince Yeoning-aligned interests. Concerns about foreign influence traced to contacts with Qing dynasty China and missionaries associated with the Society of Jesus informed policies debated in the State Council of Joseon and among magistrates in Hanyang. The crisis also related to social networks of the yangban gentry, commercial ties to Nagasaki and Macao, and intellectual exchanges with figures like Kim Si-seup and Ahn Jeong-bok.

Methods and Implementation

Enforcement relied on judicial processes administered by the Uigeumbu and provincial magistrates, using interrogation techniques recorded in case files from the Joseon Veritable Records and edicts from the royal court. Punishments included execution by beheading, exile to border regions such as Yeongbyeon and Hamgyeong, confiscation of property administered by Hyeoncheong officials, and forced renunciations supervised by local offices in Hanseong. Informers drawn from rival literati factions and kinship networks played roles comparable to those in other Joseon purges, and clandestine worship practices were suppressed through raids on households linked to families like the Danyang Yi and Cheongju Han lineages.

Aftermath and Consequences

The persecution produced demographic shifts among converts, dispersal of networks into inland provinces such as Chungcheong and Gyeonggi, and changes in clerical attitudes recorded by later missionaries such as Matteo Ripa and Jean-Baptiste Régis. Politically, the purge strengthened conservative factions within the royal court and led to tightened surveillance by the Six Ministries and provincial offices, while stimulating covert proselytizing that culminated in later waves of martyrdoms. Cultural consequences included altered practices in Seowon academies and literary circles influenced by figures like Pak Je-ga and Yi Hwang, and material outcomes such as confiscated texts entering the collections of repositories in Gyeongju and Andong.

Historical Interpretation and Legacy

Scholars such as Choe Nam-seon, Kim Haboush, James Palais, and Michael Robinson have debated the motives and scope of the persecution, situating it within broader narratives of Joseon reaction to Western influence and intra-elite factionalism. Interpretations range from viewing the events as primarily politically motivated purges by the Noron faction to framing them as episodes in the transnational history of Christian missions and Korean modernization. The episode remains significant in discussions about religious freedom in Korea, memory in institutions like the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea, and comparative studies with persecutions in Vietnam and China.

Category:Joseon dynasty