Myeongdong Cathedral

This guide to Myeongdong Cathedral opens on June 10, 1987, when a few hundred student protesters fleeing riot police took shelter inside the cathedral, and Cardinal Kim Sou-hwan's clergy prepared to stand between them and the door. It follows the standoff that drew nuns smuggling food and factory workers rallying outside, and reaches back to the crypt beneath the altar holding the relics of nine Korean Catholics executed for their faith. A good spot to pause is the altar itself.