세브란스의 독립운동과 스코필드 교수

Abstract

This paper illuminates how a medical missionary and a missionary hospital are related to the independence movement in Korea. The missionary hospital was a medical and charitable institution, not a hotbed of politics and social movement. However, as a missionary medical center, Severance Hospital became the center of the Korean Independence Movement in the early 20th Century, and Professor Frank Schofield (1887-1970) played a crucial role. Several reasons underlie Severance Hospital`s focal position in the Korean Independence Movement. The first of these is geopolitical: Seoul station, situated in front of Severance Hospital, was the center of traffic for the whole country. Essentially, Seoul station was the gateway to Seoul. Because of this geopolitical factor, Severance Hospital served as the main stage for political history in Korea and saw movements such as the Korean Liberation in 1945, the Korean War, and the April 19th Revolution. A second reason why Severance Hospital was the base for the independence movement relates to its social history. The hospital had a tradition of inaugurating social and independence movements. Chejungwon, the first Western hospital and medical school in Korea, graduated many students from medical school. These graduates, and the medical school personnel who taught them, participated in missionary activity, social enlightenment, and the independence movement. A third factor enabling Severance Hospital to play a key role in the independence movement is connected to its leadership at the time. Horace Allen, Oliver Avison, and Oh Geung-sun, the heads of Chejungwon and Severance Hospital, organized the student Young Men`s Christian Association (YMCA) in Korea. Most students in Severance Medical College (SMC) joined the student YMCA, which networked with other branches throughout the whole country network. The branch at SMC carried out missionary and social work through this network. As the March 1st Independence Movement proceeded, the student YMCA at SMC was heavily involved in promoting the independence movement. Finally, the human network in Severance Hospital was pivotal in the independence movement. Many people, such as doctors, nurses, and other medical staff, stayed in the hospital. They communicated vital information with each other and passed down their personal experiences. This human network operated in Severance Hospital and throughout the country as a whole. Human networking was not a one-time event in the independence movement; it was a critical, on going factor. Professor Frank Schofield became the symbol of the human network. As the Severance Union Medical School (SUMC) started in 1913, the Canadian Presbyterian church decided to dispatch a bacteriologist, Professor Frank Schofield to SUMC. Over time, he came to be respected due to his upright character. He participated in YMCA activities and the human network in Severance Hospital, which led him to become a major player in the independence movement. As an ardent supporter of the struggle for independence from Japanese occupation, he made a photographic record of events, including the Suchonri and Jeamri massacres. He gathered information about independence fighters and campaigned for civil rights for prisoners. Throughout his life, he showed himself to be a practical and intellectual man.