Robert Jermain Thomas was the first Protestant martyr in Korea. He was born in 1839 in Rhyadyr & spent his boyhood years at the Hanover Chapel manse in Llanover, nr. Abergavenny. he was beheaded on the beach of Suk Island in the taedong River, Pyongyang, North Korea. From his life & witness a ministry was given birth {Ref. "Chosen for Choson" by Stella Price & available on line at www.roadmin.org}.Wales knows very little about Thomas, but the Koreans have a passion to keep his memory alive. 300-400 Koreans visit Llanover each year. His memory is kept in focus at the Martyrs' Museum in Seoul, S. Korea.My wife & I hope to purchase the Llanover manse to welcome the visitors & to share the account of Thomas & the time when Wales was used to disseminate the Gospel of Christ throughout the World.We hope to raise financial support for the renewal of the Thomas Memorial Association, which was begun in 1905 in Korea, but was abandoned after the Korean War {1950-3}. Where stood the Thomas Church in Pyongyang {built 1932 & destroyed by the Communists after WW2} there is now being built Pyongyang University of Science & Technology...a Christian staffed university, which is proud of its association with Thomas & Wales.I have been privileged to be a member of a medical team that is building bridges with North Korean doctors & in May 2009 will make my third ministry mission to Pyongyang......following in Thomas' footsteps.Dr. Stephen Price.Essex, MA Emmaus Road Ministry www.roadmin.org