1834 sees another untimely death of a Korean king, and a small child forced to reign. The king's 9-year-old son comes to the throne as Hon-jong tawang. But his grandmother becomes the true power. Reforms are instituted and the nation moves along.

Unfortunately, 5 years into this reign another persecution of Christians begins. It so happens that the Prime minister hates the form of Christianity that is dominating Korean thought in these days. He conducts house to house inspections hunting them down, filling his prisons. When three French Catholics are executed, Catholic France reacts, but to no avail. Korea continues to see Romanism as a political religion. There are plenty of clues out there to lead them to this conclusion.

From the 1830's and 1840's on, Korea is being forced more and more to give up its isolationist stance. Ships keep showing up. Goods keep coming across the northern boundary, the Yalu River.

1849. The grandmother-in-charge continues her prominence when in 1849, the king dies with no son.She raises the nephew, the son of a banished brother. He is 19-year-old Chul-jong Tawang. More reforms ensue.

Roman Catholicism continues to spread rapidly. By 1863 there are as many as 20,000 adherents.

Disaster strikes next door in 1860. Peking (China) falls before the French and English. Korea offers asylum to the debased emperor.

At about this time in Korea's history there enters a new religion. Just what the land does not need. Choe Che-u founds "Tonghak," eastern learning. In 1905 it is renamed Chongdogyo. It is Korea's native born religion, much like Mormonism would be to the Americans.

Tonghak is a reaction to foreign Christianity, a way to have certain Christian doctrines accepted without the stigma of losing Korea's tendency to isolate. As with all new things, the group must struggle at the beginning, even losing its leader to execution in 1898.

Some of Tonghak's principle tenets:

• There is no sin, so there is no need for a Savior
• Shamanistic elements are mixed with Confucian, Christian and the founder's ideas.
• Old Korea is praised and held on to.
• One prophecy states that the world will end in 1884.
• There is no afterlife.

Even with this hodgepodge of ideas, the religion eventually flourishes. Also, like Mormonism.