1984 was the 100th anniversary of Christian missionary work in Korea. The Korean Christian Martyrs’ Memorial Hall, established through the collaboration of various denominations and organizations to honor the faith and spirit of ancestors who were martyred for the Korean church since the late Joseon period, develops the theme of “martyr faith” through the concept of gradual increase and a centripetal spatial composition. 

Located on the mid-slope of Geumbaeksan Mountain in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, the memorial hall can only be accessed by a walkway through a cedar forest and a gently sloping entrance road. This contrasts dramatically with the plaza at the front of the building. The building itself features a pure white mass expanding horizontally. Inside the hall, visitors experience a vertical sense of openness through a trapezoidal gabled glass roof, creating a spiritual space that mediates between the secular and sacred worlds. As the first museum in Korea to combine history and art, the hall houses offices and a multipurpose room on the first floor, an exhibition of artworks commemorating the 100th anniversary of Christian mission on the second floor including a chapel, and photographic, portrait, and relic exhibits about the martyrs’ lives on the third floor. This memorial hall uniquely commemorates all martyrs in the country across denominations, not limited to any single church or historical figure.

Due to the site’s vulnerability to moisture and aging building facilities, the hall was closed in 2019 for major renovations and reopened in June 2022.

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