  [Weekender] In search of the roots of Korean Catholicism
South Chungcheong is holy ground for Korean Catholicism and
symbol of Christian martyrdom  kh close   Published : 2014-08-08
21:45 Updated : 2014-08-08 21:45  DANGJIN, South Chungcheong
Province ― Excitement over the pope’s visit prevails in South
Chungcheong Province, with welcome placards hung at entrances of
rural towns. Nestled in South Korea’s central region along the
west coast, the province is usually not the most-visited tourist
destination for Korean or foreign tourists.  “We’ve never had a
VIP guest like Pope Francis visit the region and I don’t think
we ever will in the future,” said Kim Jeong-gyum, director of
the culture and tourism division of Seosan City Government,
which is overseeing the pope’s visit to Haemi Martyr Site next
week.  The leader of 1.2 billion Catholics is scheduled to spend
three days of his five-day stay in the province.  The bay area
of the region was where Catholicism first arrived in the country
and grew rapidly i