Yonsei University Medical Center (YUMC), rooted in Jejungwon (Gwanghyewon), Korea's first modern medical institution, is commemorating its 140th anniversary by reflecting on the history of Jejungwon and Korean Christian medical care, fostering greater pride and a sense of mission.
To mark the 140th anniversary of Jejungwon's opening, YUMC will hold a commemorative academic symposium on the 8th of next month in Room 331 of the Comprehensive Hall. The symposium, themed "Jejungwon and 140 Years of Korean Christian Medical Care," will revisit the missionary hospitals established across Korea and the medical missionary activities of missionaries, reflecting on the significance of Jejungwon and 140 years of Korean Christian medical care.
The symposium will be conducted in three sessions. In the first session, chaired by Professor Emeritus Min Seong-gil of Yonsei University, the keynote lecture titled "The Origins and Development of Korean Christian Medical Care" will be delivered by Professor Yeo In-seok (Department of Medical History, Yonsei University College of Medicine). This will be followed by presentations on ▲ Activities of Severance graduates at various missionary hospitals (Kim Young-soo, Yonsei University) ▲ Medical and gospel missions in the Wonju area by Seomigam Hospital (Ahn Seong-gu, Wonju Medical Gospel Mission Research Institute) ▲ A study on the spatial configuration and utilization of Busan Leprosy Hospital during the Japanese colonial period (Bae Dae-ho, Kyonggi University).
The second session, chaired by Professor Kim Se-hoon of Yonsei University, will feature presentations on ▲ Australian Presbyterian medical activities in the Gyeongnam region and Baedon Memorial Hospital (Yang Myung-deuk, Yeongdeungpo Industrial Mission) ▲ Medical missionary research in the Daegu area through Dongsan Christian Hospital (Kim Young-ho, Cheongdo Punggak First Church) ▲ Medical missions and the French hospital in the Mokpo area (Yoo Yeon-sil, Mokpo National University).
The final third session, chaired by Professor Park Yoon-jae of Kyung Hee University, will include presentations on ▲ Medical missionary policies of the American Southern Presbyterian Church and a study of disease treatment communities (1896-1941): A comparative study of Gunsan Mission Hospital and Suncheon Mission Hospital (Lim Hee-mo, Hanil Theological Seminary) ▲ Pyongyang Union Christian Hospital under Japanese rule and the Korean Protestant network (Joo Dong-bin, Korea University of Technology and Education) ▲ Jechang Hospital in Yongjeong Village (Jung Woon-hyung, Yonsei University). The symposium will conclude with a comprehensive commentary titled "Reflecting on 140 Years of Korean Christian Medical Care" by Professor Nam Seong-hyun of Seoul Han Young University.
The symposium is expected to be an opportunity to revisit the 140-year history of Jejungwon and Korean Christian medical care, reaffirming the history from Jejungwon, which marked the beginning of modern medicine, to today's Severance.
To celebrate the 140th anniversary of Jejungwon, Yonsei University College of Medicine will publish a commemorative book titled "Together in Time, the Path of Medical Art."
"Together in Time, the Path of Medical Art" chronicles the history of Jejungwon, established in 1885, and 39 missionary hospitals nationwide, focusing on photographs. It traces the footprints of medical institutions established across the Korean Peninsula by seven missionary bodies, including the American Northern Presbyterian Church and the American Northern Methodist Church, vividly recording how medical missionaries laid the foundation for modern Korean medicine despite harsh conditions. Notably, it includes important materials demonstrating the public role of Christian medical care in Korea's modernization process, such as missionary hospital activities for those in medical blind spots like Hansen's disease and tuberculosis patients.
Meanwhile, the commemorative book "Together in Time, the Path of Medical Art," compiled by six editorial committee members including Chairman Yeo In-seok, who collected and organized materials by region over about one year and six months, is scheduled for final publication on the 10th of next month.
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