While Christians all over the world just celebrated Christmas, North Korea may apparently be secretly honoring the season as 2016 marked the anniversary of a great Christian martrydom on the banks of the Taedong River in Pyongyang.
It has been 150 years ago since the death of the Welshman Robert Jermain Thomas , one of the brave missionaries who brought Christianity to the land of Korea.
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While his death was celebrated in churches in Cardiff and Seoul, it was not the case in Pyongyang, where he was martyred.
Robert Jermain Thomas was a Welsh Protestant Christian missionary who served with the London Missionary Society in late Qing Dynasty in China then developed a strong desire to share the good news to the people of Korea.
However, Korea was closed to foreigners at that time because of the government’s fear of foreign influence. Thomas had just received a letter informing him of the death of his wife Caroline Godfrey from miscarriage, but it did not stop him from attempting to share the gospel.
It was Thomas second missionary journey to Korea when he took a job as an interpreter on an armed American trading ship with the General Sherman who later on who initiated hostilities between the Korean government and Christian community by firing cannon and guns thus resulting in seven deaths and five wounded.
