March 11, 2014

This day marks the formation of a practical 'economic blood alliance' in the modern history of Korea and Canada. Then-President Park Geun-hye and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper officially signed the Korea-Canada Free Trade Agreement (FTA). It was the fruit of nine years of negotiations. This signing was a symbolic event in which the tearful settlement history of first-generation immigrants was finally rewarded with the recognition of the 'Mainstream.' Following the agreement, the Working Holiday quotas for Korean youth in Canada increased, and the status of Korean content at cultural events like the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) rose dramatically. This date should be remembered as the day Canada fully shifted its perspective, recognizing Korea as a 'partner to walk alongside.'

March 12, 1919

Rather than the start date of a specific event, March 12 marks the period when the pens of Canadian missionaries who witnessed the atrocities of the 1919 March 1st Movement were wielded most fiercely. At the time, Canadian-born missionaries such as James Scarth Gale (1863-1937) and Robert Grierson (1868-1965) observed the increasingly vicious oppression by the Japanese Empire heading into mid-March. They did not merely preach religious salvation. They wrote letters to their home Presbyterian church and their families: "The people of Joseon are shedding blood. Their cause is just." Their records, later combined with Dr. Schofield's report, provided the decisive grounds for the United Church of Canada to adopt a resolution supporting Korean independence.

March 15, 1889

This is the day Dr. Frank William Schofield (Korean name: Seok Ho-pil), the '34th National Representative' who loved Korea more than Koreans themselves, was born in Warwickshire, England. He later immigrated to Canada, graduated from the University of Toronto (Ontario Veterinary College), and earned his doctorate there.

It is truly a remarkable fate that his birthday falls in March. After arriving in Korea in 1916 as a professor at Severance Medical College, Dr. Schofield rode his bicycle across the sites of the March 1st Movement in 1919, taking photographs and leaving behind records. He was also the one who conducted an on-site investigation of the Jeam-ri Church massacre in Suwon, wrote a report, and exposed the tragedy to the world. The Japanese imperialists labeled him 'the most radical agitator' and attempted to assassinate him, but he never yielded.

In accordance with his dying wish to "be buried in Korean soil," he is currently the only foreigner interred in the Patriots' section of the Seoul National Cemetery. The growth of an immigrant society entails remembering and honoring the sacrifices made for our motherland (Korea) by the figures produced by this land we stand upon (Canada)—that is the true dignity of an immigrant community.