[Medical education in Pyongyang (1890-1945)]

As early as the reign of King Taejo, the Choson Dynasty started medical education in Pyongyang by establishing a medical school under "uikwa" which was an independent governmental organization of the 10 bu. Toward the end of the Dynasty, a local medical organization called "uihakwon", which was independent of the "Hyeminso" and comparatively large as a local medical organization, was established in Pyongyang under the control of "Pusa" and "Chick chang". This educational organization was staffed by one professor and had an enrolment of 16 students. Around 1894, when the Sino-Japanese War broke out, American missionaries, medical and non-medical, chose Pyongyang as the base of their missionary activities and started medical and educational work. William James Hall, of the Northern Methodist Church, started medical work, sometime later, Rossetta S. Hall, who accompanied her husband to Pyongyang, opened a hospital for women. In the meantime, J. Hunter Wells, of the Northern Presbyterian Church, inaugurated the "Chejungwon" and launched medical service in Pyoungyang. These medical activities naturally needed trained medical assistants and missionary doctors came to embrace an idea of educating regular medical doctors in Korea where there were no Korean medical doctors. This occasioned Dr. Hall and Dr. Wells to launch medical education. Their medical education which began in 1897-1899 was a pioneer work for Western medical education in Pyoungyang. ...