5 Canadians honored for March 1 Independence Movement
Canadian Ambassador to Korea Michael Danagher, left, delivers a speech during a ceremony to celebrate a special exhibition at Seoul Citizens Hall in Seoul, Feb. 26, about five Canadians who fought for Korean independence. Danagher was joined by Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, third from left, and Dean Schofield, fifth from right, late Canadian missionary Frank Schofield’s grandson. / Korea Times photo by Yi Whan-woo
By Yi Whan-woo
Canada and Korea signed a diplomatic treaty in 1963. Such government-to-government relations would not have been possible without Canadian civilians who supported Korea’s March 1 Independence Movement in 1919 and eventually helped it to become a sovereign state.
About 200 Canadians were in Korea during the late Joseon Kingdom to 1945 and when the Korean Peninsula was liberated from Japanese colonial rule.
Five of them — Robert Grierson, Archibald Barker, Stanley Martin, Frank Schofield and Frederick McKenzie — are honored for their dedication to Korean independence.
The first four were the missionaries and McKenzie was a journalist. They treated the wounded, took photos or wrote extensive reports about Japan’s brutal suppression of pro-independence protesters.
On the 100th anniversary of the March 1 Independence Movement, the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Canadian Embassy in Korea are hosting a special exhibition at Seoul Citizens Hall.
The exhibition started on Feb. 23 and will run through March 31.
"The Samil Movement was supported by countrymen and women who took great risks and often paid a heavy price in defense of their own dignity and rights. But their struggle was not entirely overlooked by the outside world," Canadian Ambassador to Korea Michael Danagher said during a ceremony at Seoul Citizens Hall, Feb. 26 to celebrate the exhibition.
Other guests were Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, former Prime Minister and Tiger Schofield Memorial Foundation Honorary Chairman Chung Un-chan and Dean Schofield, grandson of Frank Schofield.
Ambassador Danagher said that through the witness accounts of brave individuals, Korea’s situation was made more broadly known.
“The sacrifices of 1919 have ultimately led to a better world for all,” he added.
In presence of Schofield’s grandson, Ambassador Danagher touched on legacy of Frank Schofield, who is known as “the 34th patriot” from the West, in reference to the 33 Korean signatories of the March 1 Declaration of Independence.
He was the first westerner to be buried in a national cemetery. The main hall of the Canadian embassy’s chancery is dedicated to him.
“He is as much an example of Canada’s fundamental values of protecting the dignity of fellow citizens as was John Humphrey, the drafter of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, or indeed as were the Canadians and other allied soldiers who came to the aid of the young Republic of Korea in 1950,” Danagher said.
He expressed hope for better relations between Korea and Japan, claiming both were “vibrant democracies and strong open market economies with high standards of human rights protection.”