Seo Sang-ryun

{{Short description|Early Korean Christian (1848-1926)}}

{{family name hatnote|Seo||lang=Korean}}

Seo Sang-ryun ({{Korean|hangul=서상륜|hanja=徐相崙|rr=Seo Sangryun|mr=Sŏ Sangnyun}}, 1848–1926), along with his brother Seo Sang-u ({{Korean|hangul=서상우|hanja=徐相佑|rr=Seo Sangu|mr=Sŏ Sangu}}), founded the first Protestant church in Korea in 1884.{{cite book | last1= Kim |first1= Sebastian |author-link=Sebastian Kim | last2=Kim |first2=Kirsteen |author-link2=Kirsteen Kim |date= 2014 |title= A History of Korean Christianity|location=New York |publisher=Cambridge University Press |pages=58–59 }}There is a slight debate as to when the first Korean church was established, possibly dating as early as 1879. However, the best supported claim points to the church started by Suh Sang-ryun. It was established in the village of Sorae, Hwanghae Province, where his uncle lived.{{cite book |last=Paik |first= George|date= 1929|title=The History of Protestant Missions in Korea, 1832-1910 |location= Pyeng Yang, Korea |publisher= Union Christian College Press |page=51 }} He was born into the Daegu Seo Clan.

Seo Sang-ryun was involved in the trade of ginseng in Manchuria and fell ill, coming close to death. He would be nursed back to health by the Scottish Protestant missionary John Macintyre and baptized by John Ross. Seo would later assist Ross in the translation of the gospel of Luke, helping to produce the first translation of the Bible into Korean.