Born: 1959 | Role: Community Elder

"The ancestors hid in the gurong-teong-i — the gutters of the forest. Even when freedom came, they couldn't believe it was safe to emerge."

Go Jong-seok is the "maknae" (youngest) of the elders. He provided 15 narratives, including stories about the "Wind Holes" in the foundation and the midnight escape routes.

Born: 1953 | Role: Land Donor Family

The elder of the two residents, Kim Young-hwan's family donated the land on which Yeosaul Gongso stands. His connection to the site is both spiritual and material—he holds the genealogy book that testifies to generations of faith.

Born: ~1941 | Witness to History

"I watched villagers armed with bamboo spears charge at soldiers firing rifles. We had never seen Soviet weapons and assumed the shots were blanks."

Lee Yong-ho was nine years old when the church was seized as a Communist Party office in 1950. He is one of the last living witnesses to the "Bamboo Spear" resistance and the Japanese occupation era.

Role: Faith Keeper

"I was alone when the labor started. My house had collapsed, so the Gongso was where my daughter was born."

Choi Young-ran’s life is woven into the church structure itself. She cared for the peeling Virgin Mary statue for decades, vowing to replace it, and passed down the faith by teaching catechism next to the kitchen fire.

Role: Current Church Leader

"We may be the last descendants of this place."

As the current leader, Cheon Myeong-hwa carries the weight of the community’s future. During our field visit, she led a prayer blessing over instant coffee, transforming a casual break into a moment of communion.