Restoring History: 122nd Anniversary Commemorative Symposium Commemorating its 122nd Anniversary, Yonsei University hosted a Symposium on Jejungwon, Korea’s first modern hospital from which Severance Hospital emerged. Yonsei University Institute of Korean Studies and the Yonsei University College of Medicine’s Department of Medical History co-hosted the Symposium on March 7 at the Sangnam Institute of Management, titled “The Birth of Korean Modern Medicine and the Nation.” Seol Seong-kyeong, Director of the Institute of Korean Studies observed in his opening remarks that “Some people are trying to distort the history of Jejungwon. This symposium provides us with a forum in which to set history right and revisit the venerable tradition of Severance Hospital.” In effect, the Symposium responds to persistent claims that the College of Medicine of Seoul National University (SNU) is the true successor of Jejungwon.

According to Lee Man-yeol, former president of the National Institute of Korean History, Severance Hospital “has inherited the spirit of Jejungwon by continuing to provide medical aid to the needy, as well as by passing on the gospel.” Also, in his analysis of Daehan-Euiwon (Clinic of Korea), Park Yoon-jae of Kyunghee University exposes the provenance of the clinic, of which SNU’s College of Medicine claims partial heritage. Contrary to its name, Park claims with the help of crucial evidence, Daehan-Euiwon was founded by then Resident-General Ito Hirobumi as a tool for Japanese occupation in Korea. The Symposium thus seriously challenges SNU’s recent commemoration of 100 years of Daehan-Euiwon and 122 years of Jejungwon, both in fact and in spirit. SNU cannot claim descent from Jejungwon because it did not inherit the Christian spirit of medical service that was at the heart of Jejungwon. And if SNU claims Daehan-Euiwon as its roots, Park’s shocking study seriously undermines the founding spirit of the hospital. “120 Years of Korean Modern Medicine, Seen Through Pictures” Published On the day the symposium was held, Yonsei University Health System also celebrated the publication of “120 Years of Korean Modern Medicine, Seen Through Pictures: Yonsei University Health System 122nd Anniversary Commemorative Pictorial Volume.” 200 distinguished guests attended the ceremony, including University President Jeong Chang-young, and Chairman of the Board of Directors Bang Woo-young. Vice President for medical affairs Ji Hoon-sang announced that, “Yonsei University Health System is Korea’s first modern hospital, and has always shared its fate with the modern history of Korea.” Highlighting the significance of publishing a photographic record of the history of Korean modern medicine and the Medical Center, he concluded that “Yonsei University Health System will continue to look back on the history of modern medicine and hospitals, and blaze the trail for the future of Korean medicine.”