[INTERVIEW] March 1 is special for late Canadian missionary's family

Frank William Schofield, the late Canadian missionary to Korea, is seen with a Republic of Korea Medal of National Foundation awarded by the government in 1968 in recognition for his contribution to the country. / Korea Times file

By Yi Whan-woo

Many remember Frank William Schofield, the late Canadian missionary to Korea, as "the 34th patriot" from the West, in reference to the 33 Korean activists who led the March 1 Independence Movement against Japanese colonial rule in 1919.

But his grandson, Dean, says remembering his grandfather as a mere historical figure can get in the way of learning about his grandfather's real interest in Korea ― love, care and commitment for the needy.

Dean, 57, said this is probably why he continues to hear accounts from countless Koreans who say they owe their lives to his grandfather, on the 100th anniversary of the March 1 Independence Movement.

"I've always felt that Dr. Schofield felt for Korea in a loving paternalistic way, as you would feel for your own child," Dean told The Korea Times. "The facts about what my grandfather accomplished are astounding on their own, but it's the stories of how he changed people's lives and gave inspiration that are so special to our family."

Dean is staying in Korea from Feb. 25 to March 2, and is scheduled to attend various events aimed at highlighting his grandfather's legacy. This is his third visit to Korea.

His grandfather first came to Korea in 1916 as a medical professor and Christian missionary.

Schofield translated the March 1 Declaration of Independence signed by 33 religious leaders.

He also disclosed Japan's brutal 1910-45 colonial rule to the rest of the world by photographing the March 1 Movement and writing an extensive report about massacres in Jeam-ri and Suchon-ri in April 1919.

He was forced to leave Korea in 1920. He returned in 1958 and dedicated the rest of his life to Koreans, especially poor students and orphans, before he died in 1970 at the age of 81.

He was the first foreigner to be buried at a national cemetery.

Dean Schofield, left, the grandson of the late Canadian missionary to Korea Frank William Schofield, joins a ceremony at Seoul Citizens Hall, Feb. 26, for a special exhibition about Canadians who supported Korean independence against Japanese colonial rule. / Korea Times photo by Yi Whan-woo

Dean brought up three accounts related to his grandfather. They were about the granddaughter of a woman who was imprisoned for participating in the March 1 Independence Movement, about an orphan after the Korean War and about a government-sponsored dinner.

"'I wouldn't exist if it weren't for your grandfather' was how the conversation started," Dean said of the first case. "She was very guilty as she put it, and most certainly would have been executed were it not for Dr. Schofield convincing the warden that they had made a mistake and that she was a much-needed nurse in his employ."

Citing the orphan in the second case, Dean said he was dressed in rags and had not bathed in months. But his grandfather still picked him up, gave him "a great big hug" and cared for him for two years.

"When he passed away I was worried, but then I realized he had taught me everything I needed to know in order to survive," the orphan was quoted as saying by Dean.

In 1958, Schofield was asked to bring a guest to a government-sponsored dinner upon his return to Korea.

"And wanting to point out the inequality he saw in society at that time, he picked up a homeless person as a dinner companion," Dean said.

Because of his grandfather, Dean said Korea has also begun to feel like his second home, and that his family will do "anything to keep his memory alive" and "a little jet lag in exchange for a conversation like that is a small price to pay."

Dean defined the Schofield spirit as "indomitable will, giving, not being afraid to point out injustice and compassion."

Commenting on inter-Korean reconciliation, the grandson said, if his grandfather were alive, he may have offered advice as he did concerning the normalization talks between Korea and Japan in the 1960s.

"If you want to defeat your enemy, make him your friend. A country, even more than an individual, must have friends. I think he would certainly temper some of the tough rhetoric coming from both sides," Dean said.

On Feb. 26, Dean joined a ceremony in Seoul for a special exhibition aimed at remembering the five Canadians who helped Korea's independence movement ― Schofield, Robert Grierson, Archibald Barker, Stanley Martin and Frederick McKenzie.

Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, Canadian Ambassador to Korea Michael Danagher and former Prime Minister and Tiger Schofield Memorial Foundation Honorary Chairman Chung Un-chan were also at the ceremony.

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