Former Prime Minister Chung Un-chan, Canadian Ambassador to South Korea Eric Walsh and other participants paid tribute to a late Canadian missionary and medical doctor on Tuesday to mark the centennial of his coming to Korea.

They placed flowers and burned incense in front of the grave of Frank William Scofield, who was part of Korea's independence movement against Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule, at the National Cemetery in Seoul. This year also marked the 46th anniversary of his death.

Scofield -- the first and only foreigner buried at Seoul's National Cemetery -- came to Korea in 1916 to work as a bacteriology professor at Severance Union Medical College in Seoul, when the country was under Japan's control.

Also working as a Christian missionary, Scofield actively took part in the Korean independence movement, reporting Japan's brutal colonial rule to the rest of the world and helping Korean independence fighters in prison.

After the Korean liberation in 1945, he devoted his life to education and medical activities, working as a veterinary professor at Seoul National University (SNU). He was also known by his Korean name, "Seok Ho-pil."

Chung, who heads a memorial society for the late missionary in commemoration of the centennial, said during the memorial, "Dr. Scofield was a man like a father as I lost my father at an early age," adding, "We should express our thanks to the benefactor who gave a great deal of teachings to mankind and Korea."

South Korea and Canada are much indebted to the late missionary who laid out the foundation of the strong ties the two countries enjoy now, said Walsh, the Canadian top envoy in Seoul, in a speech, which he delivered at a separate memorial at the university after visiting the grave. (Yonhap)