There are strong diplomatic relations between Canada and South Korea (Republic of Korea). Canadian soldiers participated in the defense of South Korea during the Korean War. Full diplomatic relations between Canada and South Korea were established on January 14, 1963. Canada has an embassy in Seoul. South Korea has an embassy in Ottawa and three Consulates-General, in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver. Both nations are full members of APEC, OECD and the G20.
Contact between Canada and the Republic of Korea dates back to the 19th century when Canadians were some of the first Westerners to arrive on the Korean peninsula, a majority of whom were Christian missionaries, though they branched out into other fields of work. Rev. Canadian James S. Gale (1863-1937) created the Korean-English Dictionary, which became the first and most essential tool for the scholarly study of Korea in the West, and did an independent translation of the Bible into the Korean language. Another Canadian, Dr. Oliver R. Avison, was the personal physician to King Kojong (1852-1919) and is considered the founder of modern medical knowledge in Korea. Dr. Frank Schofield, a British-born Canadian from Guelph, Ontario, played an important role in the liberation of Korea from the Japanese occupation. Schofield is the only Westerner buried in the patriot section in Korea's National Cemetery. Official contact began in 1947 when Canada participated in the United Nations Commission overseeing election in Korea, and Canada formally recognized the Republic of Korea in 1949.
When war broke out between North Korea and South Korea in 1950, Canada sent 26,971 military personnel to the Korean peninsula as part of a United Nations force, the third largest contingent behind the United States and the United Kingdom. Additionally, Canadians saw action in both naval and air forces with eight destroyers, 3,621 naval officers and men, twenty-two fighter pilots and several technical officers; whom were attached to the U.S. Fifth Air Force. Canada continued peacekeeping operations in Korea with the introduction of the Armistice Agreement. Due to the nature of the Korean War as the "Forgotten War", public awareness has been raised with the dedication of a national monument in 1997 - the Wall of Remembrance in Brampton, Ontario. 516 Canadians died in the war and 378 Canadians lie buried in the United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Busan.
In 2018, two Canadian nationals, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, were detained in China after being accused by the Chinese government of espionage and endangering national security. On February 12, 2021, Canada and 57 other nations, including the US, UK, Australia, Germany and Sweden, jointly signed a declaration condemning the use of arbitrarily detaining people for political purposes. In response, China called CanadaâÂÂs action a âÂÂdespicable and hypocritical actâÂÂ. The declaration was supported by 57 countries, though one historically democratic country not on the list of supporters is South Korea, which has been looking to build a stronger relationship with China. On March 22, 2021, Michael KovrigâÂÂs trial began in Beijing behind closed doors.
The Canada-Korea Energy Forum has been held annually since 2009.
In 2014, South Korea was the 7th largest destination for Canadian exports the 3rd largest in Asia. In December 2009, Canadian Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, traveled to Seoul on his Asian Tour. The two countries talked on opening further trade relations. Despite suggesting trade advancements in technology and resources, South Korea did not commit to a lifting of the ban on Canadian beef. In October 2011, Canadian Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz stated that he felt confident that South Korea would reopen the South Korean market to Canadian beef by year's end. The ban has existed since 2003.
Trade relations in the beef market have softened as of early 2012, ending the ban of imported beef. Canada continues to make significant strides in relations with Korea in many areas, including open free trade agreements.
On March 11, 2014, Prime Minister Stephen Harper and President Park Geun-hye announced that Canada and South Korea had concluded negotiations on the CanadaâÂÂKorea Free Trade Agreement.
Canadian-South Korean bilateral trade reached (CAD) $21.9 billion in 2022. In the same year, Canadian export to South Korea were $8.7 billion, while South Korean exports to Canada reached $13.2 billion. Canada's main exports to South Korea were mineral fuels and oils (crude), cereals, wood pulp, mineral ores and meat. South Korea's main exports to Canada were vehicles, electrical equipment, machinery, oils (not crude) and iron/steel.
As of 2022, South Korea's cumulative investment in Canada amounted to $15.7 billion, Canada's cumulative investment in South Korea was $4.3 billion.
On October 22, 2018, the South Korean government snubbed Canada's legalization of recreational marijuana and warned South Korean citizens in the country that they must comply with South Korean law and will be arrested if they use or are in possession of recreational marijuana in Canada.
The South Korean government maintains the Korean Education Centre () in Toronto. Kim's Convenience is getting popular and recognised in Korea.
Before 1966, women in the church were limited to serving as deaconesses or as missionaries. They were not eligible for ordination as elders or ministers. Despite the limited roles available to women in the church during this period, Canadian female missionaries played a significant role in expanding education, healthcare, and womenâÂÂs agency in Korea.
In the second half of the nineteenth century, industrialization in Britain and North America expanded womenâÂÂs access to education and professional training, enabling increasing numbers of women to enter the workforce. These developments contributed to the growing participation of women in overseas mission work. By the late nineteenth century, single women were permitted to join major missionary organizations, including the WomenâÂÂs Foreign Missionary Society, the WomanâÂÂs Board of Missions, and various student missionary groups. Recruitment standards gradually shifted from emphasizing âÂÂladylikeâ qualities to valuing professional skills such as teaching, nursing, and medical training. Earlier in the century, missionary activity had been largely restricted to the wives of male missionaries, whose primary role was to model Western domestic ideals within local communities. As more women entered the mission field independently, their influence expanded into two major areas: education and healthcare. In education, female missionaries visited Korean women, led Bible study groups, and established schools for girls and orphanages intended to prepare them for future roles within Christian households. Over time, some mission schools offered advanced curricula that enabled Korean girls to pursue higher education at missionary universities and other institutions. In the medical sphere, women missionaries initially taught Western hygiene practices and basic medical knowledge. Their work later developed into the establishment of hospitals for women and children, as well as the creation of nursing programs, medical training schools, and colleges that provided Korean women with access to professional healthcare education.
Rosetta Sherwood Hall was a medical missionary known for her pioneering work in healthcare for women and children, as well as in special education for blind and disabled children, serving 44 years in Korea. Born and educated in the United States, she earned her M.D. before meeting William J. Hall, a Canadian medical missionary, in New York. The couple later received mission appointments to Korea. Hall initially worked in Seoul at the âÂÂPoguyà Âgwanâ (WomenâÂÂs Hospital) and taught pharmacology and physiology at Ewha Hakdang, a girlsâ school, beginning in 1890. She married William J. Hall in 1892, which resulted in the loss of her American citizenship under the laws of the period. After her husbandâÂÂs death, she returned to Korea and established the âÂÂPuin Pyongwonâ (WomenâÂÂs Hospital). HallâÂÂs interest in special education developed after the death of her daughter, Edith Margaret, in 1898. During this period, she began assisting Oh Pong-rae, the blind daughter of one of her husbandâÂÂs early converts. Oh later studied in Japan and became the first Korean blind teacher of a school for blind. Hall introduced the New York Point system to Korea and helped adapt it for the Korean alphabet. She subsequently founded KoreaâÂÂs first school for the blind, which later became the Pyongyang School for the Blind. Around 1920, Hall opened a medical training class for women at the East Gate WomenâÂÂs Hospital in Seoul. In 1928, the program was officially recognized by the government as the âÂÂSeoul WomenâÂÂs Medical College.â This institution became the first formal medical school for women in Korea and later served as a predecessor to Korea University College of Medicine.