1960년대 이후 북한 한의학의 변천과 성격 = Evolution of Traditional Medicine in North Korea Since 1960

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Traditional medicine is an important part of healthcare system in North Korea. North Korean government however did not pay any attention to traditional medicine in the beginning, and simply ignored it as “non-scientific” practice. The policy towards traditional medicine dramatically changed in 1956 when Kim Il Sung purged political rivals and became a dictator. He started praising the superiority of traditional medicine over western medicine in some therapeutic areas. The government then took additional measures to develop traditional medicine: first, it issued traditional practitioners licenses; second, it established a government research center as well as professional educational system for traditional medicine; and thirdly it encouraged the mass-production of herbal drugs. Strong emphasis on Ju-che ideology from 1974 led to the further change in the traditional medicine of North Korea: traditional medicine became more popular; and it began to adopt the method of western medicine. The fall of economy from the late 1980s led to further dramatic change in healthcare system in North Korea, and traditional medicine beame the major medical care. What are the major factors that influenced the development of traditional medicine in North Korea since 1960? I suggest four factors: first, the influence of Western science; second, the socialist idea of free medical care; third, the rise of Ju-che ideology; and, lastly, the poor economy. Combination of these four factors had driven the development of traditional medicine in North Korea.