1839년 기해년에 헌종이 천주교의 폐해를 막고자 내린 교서다. 1801년 신유박해가 있은 지 40년 가까이 흘렀으나 천주교는 여전히 금지된 종교였다. 어린 헌종을 앞세운 풍양 조씨 세도 정권이 1839년 '사학토치령邪學討治令'을 내렸다. 이로 인해 조선 교회 재건의 중심인물이던 정하상, 유진길, 조신철이 체포되어 처형되었다. 300명이 넘는 순교자가 나온 기해박해는 11월 23일 내려진 『척사윤음』으로 막을 내린다.

This royal edict, issued by King Heonjong in the year of Gihae (1839), was intended to curb the spread of Catholicism, which was perceived as harmful at the time. Despite almost 40 years passing since the Sinyu Persecution in 1801, Catholicism remained a banned religion. The Jo clan of Pungyang, leading the regime of royal-in-laws, placed young King Heonjong at the forefront and issued another decree in the fourth lunar month of 1839 to suppress and punish the heterodoxy. As a result, key figures attempting to rebuild the Korean Catholic Church, such as Jeong Ha-sang, Yu Jin-gil, and Jo Sin-cheol, were arrested and executed. The Gihae Persecution in 1839, which created more than 300 martyrs, concluded with the royal edict rejecting heterodoxy issued on the 23rd day of the 11th lunar month.