Starting from October 1938, Choe refused to participate in worship of the Japanese Emperor, which was required by law in the 1930s (see Christianity in Korea: Korean nationalism), then he initiated the movement of antagonism towards Japanese Shinto Shrine worship by focusing on Namhae area.
The Jeju salamander, also spelled Cheju salamander, Hynobius quelpaertensis, is a species of salamander found on various islands and peninsulas off the southwestern coast of the Korean Peninsula, including Jindo, Geojedo, Jejudo, and Namhae.