Frank Schofield

Frank William Schofield (15 March 1889 – 16 April 1970) was a British-born Canadian veterinarian, missionary, and Korean independence activist. He was also known by his Korean name Seok Ho-pil .

In 1916, Schofield moved to Korea as a Presbyterian missionary and lecturer at Severance Medical School. Korea was then under Japanese rule, and Schofield became known for openly criticizing Japan's repressive policies. In 1919, he became one of a handful of foreigners informed in advance of the March First Movement protests, now considered a seminal event in Korean history. Schofield photographed and documented the protests, and spread news of their violent suppression to the international press. His work is now considered historically significant, with his photos now displayed in textbooks and museums in South Korea. In 1920, he was pressured to leave Korea and returned to Canada. There, he continued donating to Korea and advocating for its independence.

Schofield returned to his alma mater, Ontario Veterinary College, where he would lecture and research until his retirement in 1955. He was then invited to return to South Korea by its president Syngman Rhee, and was made a professor at the veterinary college of Seoul National University. He continued being politically active; he publicly criticized the military dictatorships of Rhee and Park Chung Hee and advocated for a number of reforms in Korea. He was charitable, and donated much of his money to orphanages and scholarships. Among his beneficiaries and mentees was the later Prime Minister of South Korea Chung Un-chan.

Schofield has since become beloved in South Korea. He has been described as "an eternal Korean", and received a number of awards from the country. He was the first non-Korean to be buried in Seoul National Cemetery. He is also remembered for his contributions to veterinary and biological research.

Early life and education Frank William Schofield was born on 15 March 1889 in Warwickshire, England, United Kingdom. He was the youngest of four siblings. His mother died when he was young, and his father remarried. Schofield's family has been described as lower middle-class. Schofield hoped to move to Canada, which he saw as a land of opportunity, and saved money by working as a farm laborer in order to move there after graduating from high school. During his schooling, Schofield experienced not only financial difficulties, but also contracted polio, He completed his Bachelor of Veterinary Science degree in 1910 and his Doctor of Veterinary Science degree in 1911. His thesis was entitled "The bacteriological analysis of milk being sold in Toronto". In 1912, he joined the faculty of his alma mater.

Schofield worked to learn the Korean language upon his arrival, and by his second year was able to give lectures in the language.

On 28 February, Schofield became one of the only foreigners to be informed of the activists' plans in advance.

Schofield also personally intervened in a number of arrests. He would falsely claim the arrested person was his "maid" or "houseboy", and demand they be released lest the British consulate become involved.

Schofield visited the site on April 17, where he interviewed survivors, dressed wounds, noting severe infections, rapid pulse, and pus-filled gashes and photographed the devastation. He also noted that the village's layout, divided by a hill and valley with widely spaced houses, made accidental fire spread impossible, corroborating survivor testimony that soldiers had deliberately ignited multiple structures. These reports circulated through missionary networks and appeared in publications such as the Shanghai Gazette and the Presbyterian Witness in 1919.

He has been widely praised in South Korea. Former Prime Minister of South Korea Chung Il-kwon described him as "an eternal Korean". South Korea donated $800,000 for the construction of the garden. Portions of the garden feature Korean architecture.

For the 100th anniversary of the March First Movement, the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Canadian Embassy in South Korea hosted an exhibition at Seoul City Hall, in which Schofield and other Canadian missionaries were honored.