Before Korea and Ireland officially established diplomatic ties in 1983, Irish people were already living on the peninsula. They were missionaries. The Missionary Society of St. Columban first arrived on the Korean Peninsula in 1933, supporting Korea’s independence under Japanese rule. During the Korean War, they endured captivity alongside Koreans. In 1958, the Brothers of St. John of God came to Gwangju, where they opened a hospital and began caring for the marginalized. In this episode, we’ll meet Irish missionaries who have stood with Koreans, bringing change and hope to society from the colonial era to the postwar years and beyond.
