Korea & Australia: The Untold Story Behind Their Secret Bond!

**Australian Ambassador Reflects on Korea and Australia’s Long-Standing Relationship**

Korea & Australia: The Untold Story Behind Their S...

Australian Ambassador Jeff Robinson recently delivered a captivating and remarkably candid lecture on the deep-rooted ties between Australia and Korea. Speaking to the Royal Asiatic Society (RAS) Korea on December 2nd, Robinson drew from his own rich, four-decade connection to the Korean peninsula to paint a vivid picture of a relationship built on more than just trade and diplomacy.

It was a fascinating talk, particularly because Robinson, a former member of RAS Korea himself, wasn’t just reciting talking points. He shared personal anecdotes, starting with his enrollment in the inaugural Korean language program at Australian National University back in the early 1980s. "There were five students, and I was one of them," he chuckled. His early Korean studies led to friendships with Korean students through the Columbo Plan, an initiative that, as he put it, "paid for a lot of people from primarily Asia to come to Australia to learn skills that they could take back to their own country.” It's amazing to think how these seemingly small programs can blossom into significant diplomatic and cultural bridges.

These friendships sparked a journey to Korea in 1984, where Robinson was, as he humorously described, initiated into the world of Korean "suljip," or drinking establishments. But beyond the soju and pajeon, he found a genuine warmth and generosity that resonated deeply. "Once you get past the language and cultural barriers, I actually think that Koreans are very similar to Australians," he observed. A sentiment, I suspect, many who have spent time in both countries would agree with. There's a certain directness and down-to-earth quality that seems to transcend cultural differences.

Robinson emphasized that these early experiences, rooted in "people-to-people links," are the foundation of the Australia-Korea relationship, stretching back over 130 years. He pointed out that Joseph H. Davies, a Protestant missionary, was the first documented Australian in Korea back in 1889 – even before Australia was officially a nation! Davies, he noted with a touch of dark humor, "got on a donkey and rode from Seoul to Busan and promptly died.”

He also shone a light on the often-unsung heroes of this relationship: the early missionaries. Women like Isabella Menzies, Margaret Davies, and Daisy Hocking, who established Busanjin Ilsin Girls’ School (now Dongrae Women’s High School), the first modern high school for girls in southeastern Korea. Their dedication to education and their support of Korean independence during the March 1st Movement in 1919, even leading to their detention by Japanese authorities, is a testament to their commitment. Last year, the Korean Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs honored these women by asking Robinson to accept awards on behalf of their families.

Then there were James and Mary Mackenzie, who established a hospital for people with Hansen's disease and an orphanage in Busan. Their daughters, Helen and Catherine, followed in their footsteps, studying medicine in Australia and returning to Korea in 1952 to establish a maternity hospital and train Korean midwives, serving the community until the late 1970s. These are the stories that truly illustrate the depth and enduring nature of the Australia-Korea connection.

Robinson further noted that when the Korean War broke out in 1950, Australia was the second country after the… (article incomplete).