February 16, 2010

The Winter Olympics held in Vancouver, Canada, marked a memorable day in the history of Korean sports. On this day, South Korean skater Lee Sang-hwa won the gold medal in the women's 500m speed skating. It was a triumph following Mo Tae-bum's gold medal just the day before. The reason this day is significant in the history of Korea-Canada relations is that the stage was none other than Canada. At the time, chants of "Dae~han-min-guk" (Republic of Korea) and "Go Canada Go" rang out together in restaurants throughout the Koreatown area in Toronto, Ontario. While Canadians enjoyed the games with the pride of a host nation, they also sent unsparing applause to the Korean athletes who had emerged as a powerhouse in speed skating.

February 19, 1863

February 19, 1863, is the birthdate of Dr. James Scarth Gale (1863–1937). Born in Alma, Ontario, and a graduate of the University of Toronto, he was a pioneer who opened spiritual exchanges between Korea and Canada and is regarded as the "Father of Korean Studies." Arriving on Korean soil in 1888, he not only served as a Canadian missionary but also deeply loved Korean literature; he was the first to translate and introduce The Cloud Dream of the Nine (Guunmong) to the Western world, compiled a Korean-English dictionary, and translated the Bible into Korean, making immense contributions. To him, Korea was a civilized nation to be deeply loved and explored. Dr. Gale lies at the very root of why the University of Toronto has established itself as one of the centers of Korean studies in North America today.

February 21, 1951

On this day, when the biting cold—jealous of the coming spring—still lingered, "Operation Killer," a massive UN counter-offensive under the command of US Eighth Army General Ridgway, began. At the forefront stood the Canadian forces (including the 2nd Battalion, PPCLI). In the rugged mountainous terrain of Gyeonggi-do and Gangwon-do, turned into mud baths by the thaw, Canadian soldiers fought desperately to push back the Chinese Communist forces. Even amidst knee-deep mud and raining artillery shells, they did not retreat. The bravery demonstrated by the Canadian troops at the time played a decisive role in pushing the front line northward.

February 22, 2018

A drama-like scene unfolded at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics short track stadium. Around the time of the women's 1000m short track final on this day, where Korea's Choi Min-jeong and Canada's Kim Boutin competed fiercely, a strange tension flowed between the netizens and sports fans of both countries. Although there was an unsavory incident where some Korean netizens poured criticism on Canadian skater Kim Boutin due to a collision and disqualification ruling during the race, the Canadian Olympic Committee, the Korean Organizing Committee, and citizens immediately voiced the need for self-reflection and correction. As voices rose saying, "Sports are just sports; they must not turn into hate," Korean spectators subsequently extended a hand of reconciliation by sending warm applause of encouragement to Kim Boutin.