[Korea Encounters] Frank Schofield, 'a most dangerous man' and an 'eternal Korean'

Prime Minister Chung Il-kwon places a wreath at a memorial for Dr. Frank W. Schofield, published in The Korea Times April 14, 1970. / Korea Times Archive

By Matt VanVolkenburg

On March 1, 1919, 33 Korean patriots signed the Korean Declaration of Independence and set in motion the March First ("Samil") Independence Movement. Today, they are buried in the National Cemetery, where they are joined by a "34th patriot:" Frank Schofield, a Canadian who was then serving in Korea as a medical missionary.

Schofield was born in England and emigrated to Toronto, Canada, at age 17 in 1907. He enrolled in the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) and, though stricken with polio, which left him with a paralyzed arm and leg, he graduated in 1910. Within a few years, he married, became a lecturer at OVC, and was then invited to teach at Severance Union Medical College in Seoul.

After his arrival in 1916, Schofield began learning Korean and within two years, was able to carry out his lectures in the language. These lectures sometimes digressed into other topics, including his belief that "no nation in the world can retain their colonies forever."

Suspecting that he might support them, his student, Yi Gap-seong, approached him in February 1919 and told him of the planned independence demonstrations, which made him the only foreigner to know about them in advance. Schofield agreed to help spread word of the movement overseas.

Dr. Frank W. Schofield, published in The Korea Times April 15, 1970. / Korea Times Archive

On March 1, with his camera in hand, he took photos of the demonstrations that today are among those that appear in Korean museums and textbooks. In addition, in April he secretly visited and photographed the site of the Jeam-ri massacre, where the imperial Japanese military had forced villagers into a church and burned it down.

Beyond documenting this violence, he also actively intervened. When he saw police making arrests, he would demand that they release his "maid" or "houseboy" immediately, or face the wrath of the British Consulate ― a tactic that brought successful results. Amid these activities, he also spoke with Japanese officials and visited prisons to console the activists who had been arrested.

Another way he intervened was to write articles and sarcastic letters to the government-run Seoul Press, particularly after one of its articles argued that the overcrowded Seodaemun Prison should be "called a vocational school rather than a prison."

"What a wonderful piece of news!" he wrote, before describing the plight of a recently released prisoner whose "skin was torn off in many places" and who had certainly not been given any chance to "exercise in the fresh air at the Seodaemun Sanatorium."

His efforts did not go unnoticed, and in December 1919, Governor-General Saito Makoto declared Schofield to be "a most dangerous man, assiduously carrying on the independence agitation in Korea." Pressure was put on Severance Hospital to dismiss him, and in early 1920, his wife's mental instability was used as an excuse to have him recalled to Canada.

Upon his return to Canada, he befriended Syngman Rhee and tried to publish the account of the uprising he had written and smuggled out, titled "The Unquenchable Fire," but ultimately failed, and the manuscript was lost. Over the next 35 years he taught at his alma mater, OVC, and after his retirement, Rhee, by then president of the ROK, invited Schofield to return to Korea in 1958.

Dr. Frank W. Schofield celebrates his 76th birthday in 1965, published in The Korea Times April 15, 1970. / Korea Times Archive

Their friendship quickly became rocky, however, when Schofield disagreed with Rhee's belief that only war would bring reunification. As Rhee became more dictatorial, Schofield openly criticized his actions, comparing them to those of the Japanese colonial government in 1919.

On the 41st anniversary of the March First Movement, Schofield wrote in The Korea Times, "To witness the almost complete transformation of the thousands of people from a mood of timidity, fear and hopelessness, to men and women dominated by a spirit of daring, resoluteness and unquestioning hope, was an unforgettable experience."

He added, however, that, "Our celebration today will be a meaningless and hypocritical gesture, unless we are willing to make the good and free Korea envisaged by the patriots of the Samil Undong the goal for which we strive with sacrifice and determination."

Dr. Frank W. Schofield with Helen Kim, the founder of The Korea Times, published in The Korea Times Feb. 19, 1960 / Korea Times Archive

After his return, Schofield obtained a teaching position at Seoul National University (SNU), and was "often seen speaking surrounded by many students like a queen bee on the school campus or in his room."

By 1960, the Rhee government was pressuring him to leave Korea, but this pressure came to an end with the April 1960 Student Revolution. On April 28, Schofield wrote in The Korea Times to celebrate "the triumph of righteousness, courage and freedom over tyranny, corruption, brutality."

"We must never forget that the monstrous evil, which only a month ago…threatened to destroy democracy and decency, was challenged and destroyed by the courage and sacrifice of the students of Korea. To these brave young men and women we all owe a great debt of gratitude. It was a magnificent display of courage and moral indignation, and the return of the heroic spirit of the Samil Independence Movement."

He made clear the task that lay ahead when he wrote that "the destruction of evil is not identical with the establishment of righteousness." Though Schofield was presented with a Republic of Korea Cultural Medal by President Yun Po-sun for his meritorious service, he lamented what he believed was continued corruption. When Park Chung-hee led a military coup in May 1961, Schofield welcomed it, arguing that when the shock wore off, "I believe most people will come to the conclusion that it was both necessary and inevitable." He asserted, "The real strength of a nation is the integrity of its citizens," something he hoped the military would instill.

Dr. Frank W. Schofield receives a Republic of Korea Cultural Medal from President Yun Po-sun, published in The Korea Times Dec. 18, 1960. / Korea Times Archive

Though Park never aroused his ire the way Rhee had, for the next decade, he continued to offer criticism when necessary. In a March 5, 1964 letter to The Korea Times, he commented on a profiteering scandal that had driven up the price of flour and made life harder for "the long-suffering and hungry people." He called on the president to "investigate this shocking state of affairs."

"A healthy society cannot be built on such corrupt foundations," he wrote. "What is the good of teaching 'morals' in the schools, when at home the children hear about scandal after scandal?"

His focus on children was not merely rhetorical. Schofield supported numerous orphans and donated money to cover tuition for poor students. One such student was Chung Un-chan, who would serve as prime minister of Korea in 2009-10, who met Schofield in 1960 when he was a 13-year-old Gyeonggi Middle School student.

"Back then, my family's circumstances were such that we worried about feeding ourselves," Chung wrote in Schofield's biography "I Wish to be Buried in Korea." "Not only did Doctor Schofield generously provide for my tuition and expenses, he was my spiritual pillar who greatly affected the molding of my character… Having lost my father when I was young, Dr. Schofield was like a true father to me."

He went on, "I vividly remember him lamenting that in Korea the rich have not an iota of sympathy for the poor as he witnessed the widening gap between the rich and poor during the economic growth of the 1960s. He…advised me to choose economics as my major in college. He encouraged me to spend my life working to narrow the gap between the rich and the poor."

Prime Minister Chung Il-kwon places a wreath at a memorial for Dr. Frank W. Schofield, published in The Korea Times April 14, 1970. / Korea Times Archive

In 1969, Dr. Schofield's health began to fail, and on April 12, 1970, he died surrounded by friends at SNU Hospital. He had given away all of his belongings before his death. On April 16, a public funeral was held, and he was buried as a "patriot" in the Seoul National Cemetery ― the only foreigner who has ever been so honored.

Dr. Frank W. Schofield being buried in the National Cemetery, published in The Korea Times April 17, 1970. / Korea Times Archive

At the funeral, Schofield's former student, Yi Gap-seong, the last of the 33 patriots of the March First Movement still living, and the very person who had recruited Schofield in 1919, praised his dedication to Korea. Prime Minister Chung Il-kwon also spoke and described Schofield as "both a great foreigner who loved Korea more than Koreans, and an eternal Korean."

Matt VanVolkenburg has a master's degree in Korean studies from the University of Washington. He is the blogger behind populargusts.blogspot.kr.