• Korean Journal of Oriental Medicine
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• v.13 no.2 s.20
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• pp.37-45
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• 2007

Background : The 'Korean Medicine' is the traditional medicine in Korea, which has preserved its homogeneous quality in the long historic period. But since 1945 when Korea was divided, the Korean Medicine has also been independently developed in South and North Korea. As a Result, it has lost its national homogeneity. Objective : In order to illuminate the past and an actuality of the transition and medical system of traditional medicine in North Korea. Method : Overview a preceding research paper and the various data of traditional medicine in North Korea. Result : 1. The name of North Korea traditional medicine from 'East medicine' was changed history with 'Korean medicine', It with the method which combines a traditional medicine and a Western medicine is endeavoring to modernization. 2. The administrative systems which take charge of the traditional medicine of North Korea are the organization which manages the Korean medicine and the Bureau of The Korean medicine production control. Also there is relation of the Bureau of the treatment prevention. 3. There are 8 medical colleges other than P'yongyang medical college. There is 6 years 6 months and 7 years 7 month follows in curriculum. Conclusions : It evaluated the past and an actuality of the transition and medical system of traditional medicine in North Korea.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.14-25
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• 2023

Objectives: South Korea, the United States, and the United Nations have imposed extensive economic sanctions against North Korea, which increased the use of traditional Korean medicine in North Korea to maintain its national health care system. This study attempts to study the latest trends of traditional Korean medicine research through bibliographic analysis of one of the North Korean medical journals. It will then provide insights into how traditional Korean medicine is used in North Korea. Methods: This study is based on 611 clinical research articles out of 931 articles extracted from 13 volumes of Koryo Medicine (2016 ~ 2019). The articles were classified according to the researched treatment, diseases and use alongside conventional drugs. Results: Based on the analysis of Koryo Medicine, the proportion of clinical research articles investigating the treatment effects was very high (65.6%). Also, clinical research using herbal medicine as treatment was the most common, accounting for 17.69% of the total. Some of the clinical research in Koryo Medicine were conducted in tandem with conventional drug treatment, especially on acupuncture. Conclusion: This study conducted a bibliographic analysis of Koryo Medicine to understand the current status of traditional Korean medicine within North Korea. The analysis identified main diseases, treatment methods, and integration with conventional drugs in the clinical research of traditional Korean medicine. As a country actively seeking to use traditional Korean medicine, North Korea will become an interesting field of global traditional medicine and complementary medicine research.

• Journal of Korean Medical classics
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.99-107
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• 2018

Objectives: This article aims to clarify the understanding and publication status of both The Treasured Mirror of Eastern Medicine (Donguibogam) and some of its recent research progress made in North Korea, as well as their influences upon the academic of Koryo medicine in North Korea. Methods: Analysis was carried out based on various reference books, dictionaries and Korean translation of Donguibogam (1964 Ver.) published by North Korea, as well as the North Korean quarterly medical journal, Koryo Medicine. Results: The academic of Koryo medicine in North Korea regards Donguibogam, a Korean medical classic as it was written by native Korean physicians and it became an important ground material for basic research and clinical study. Various terminologies used in the original version of Donguibogam were defined as unscientific and superstitious by North Korean academics, which were then subsequently removed from the Korean translation of Donguibogam (1964 Ver.) published by North Korea. Therefore, this version cannot be seen as a complete edition of Donguibogam. Conclusions: The Donguibogam is known as one of the 'three major books of Koryo medicine' in North Korea. As a treasure of East-Asian traditional medical classic, Donguibogam is expected to become the medium for a closer research collaboration between the North and South Koreas including China in the future.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.108-118
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• 2000

According to the North Korean documents , North Korean government have emphasized the development of the Koryo medicine (traditional korean medicine) and encouraged the combination of the Koryo and the modern medicine. It is regarded that this attitude arose from the ruler's will toward independency in the medical field and at the same time the lack of modern medical resources . Combinations of the Koryo medicine and the modern medicine in the clinical textbooks are classified as follows: first, mixed medication of the Koryo and the modern medicine. Second, combination of the traditional acupuncture(or moxibustion) and the medication of modern medicines. Third, injection of modern medicines at acupoints. Forth, an intramuscular or an intravenous injection of the Koryo medicine. Fifth, anesthesia using Koryo medicine. Sixth, simple surgery at the acupoints. Lastly, combination of injection and the traditional therapy(eg. acupuncture, moxibustion and cupping) Despite of many achievements in the field of combined medical treatment, recent economic failure and severe famine for several years caused collapse of the health care delivery system in North Korea, and it is hard to find combined practices actually.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.33-43
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• 2021

Objectives : This study seeks to grasp the current status of Koryo medical research in North Korea, by focusing on researchers and research topics. Methods : A network analysis of co-authors and keyword which were extracted from Koryo Medicine - a North Korean traditional medicine journal, was conducted. Results : The results of author network analysis was a sparse network due to the low correlation between authors. The domain-wide network density of co-authors was 0.001, with a diameter of 14, average distance between nodes 4.029, and average binding coefficient 0.029. The results of the keyword network analysis showed the keyword "traditional medicine" had the strongest correlation weight of 228. Other keywords with high correlation weight was common acupuncture (84) and intradermal acupuncture(80). Conclusions : Although the co-authors of the Koryo Medicine did not have a high correlation with each other, they were able to identify key researchers considered important for each major sub-network. In addition, the keywords of the Koryo Medicine journals had a very high linkage to herbal medicines.

• Journal of Korean Medical classics
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.67-87
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• 2021

Objectives :The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the significance of the 『Joseonbogeonsa』 by examining North Korea's perspective in its documentation of the history of medicine, and to further understand North Korea's perception of Korean Traditional Medicine. Methods : The focus of examination was on the perspective of historical description as shown in the first chapter of the 『Joseonbogeonsa』. Its unique features were made clear through comparison with historical texts of medicine of South Korea such as the 『History of Medicine in Korea』, and the 『History of Korean Medicine』. In order to grasp the current of historical research in North Korea, various Traditional Medicine related dictionaries and academic journals of North Korea along with the 『Joseontongsa』 were examined. Results & Conclusions : The historical views of the 『Joseonbogeonsa』 could be categorized as nation-focused, materialistic, and nationalistic. These are core elements that make up North Korea's self-reliance ideology, which influenced the interpretation of medical facts. While the text is valuable in that it introduced new historical material along with its interpretation, and argued for a more independent development of Traditional Medicine, its limitation of interpreting historical material from a conclusive, pre-determined standpoint cannot be overlooked. The North Korean 'Goryeo Medicine' is defined by its historical nature rather than academic characteristics, and its significance is determined by its clinical efficacy rather than theoretical value.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.109-120
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• 2018

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the current status of infectious disease research in North Korea by analyzing recent trends in medical journals from North Korea in comparison with research from South Korea. Methods: Three medical journals (Preventive Medicine, Basic Medicine, and Chosun Medicine) were analyzed from 2012 to 2016. Articles on tuberculosis (TB), malaria, and parasitic diseases were selected and classified by their subtopics and study areas. Two medical journals published in the South Korea were selected for a comparative analysis of research trends. Results: Of the 2792 articles that were reviewed, 93 were extracted from North Korea journals. TB research in North Korea was largely focused on multi-drug resistant TB and extrapulmonary TB, whereas research in South Korea more frequently investigated non-tuberculous mycobacteria. Research on parasitic diseases in North Korea was focused on protozoan and intestinal nematodes, while the corresponding South Korea research investigated various species of parasites. Additionally, the studies conducted in North Korea were more likely to investigate the application of traditional medicine to diagnosis and treatment than those conducted in South Korea. Conclusions: This study presents an analysis of research trends in preventive medicine in North Korea focusing on infectious diseases, in which clear differences were observed between South and North Korea. Trends in research topics suggest a high prevalence of certain parasitic diseases in North Korea that are no longer widespread in South Korea. The large proportion of studies examining traditional medicine implies a lack of affordable medicine in North Korea.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.15-25
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• 2020

Background : Mutual understanding between North and South Korea is essential for the engagement of Inter-Korean exchange and cooperation. However, the two Koreas have been divided for 70 years where Korean evolved differently within the two countries. This created a gap in the most basic foundation for mutual understanding, language. Fostering exchange and cooperation in the traditional medicine field requires a higher understanding of the specialized traditional medicine terminologies. Objectives : The purpose of this study is to formulate a future management plan for the "Comparative Terminology of Korean Medicine in South and North Korea," providing a foundation for standardizing Korean medicine terminology of the two Koreas. Methods : The study collected case studies of Korean medicine terminology management and standardization from government and international organization websites and documents. It provided future terminology management strategies based on this data. Results : The project for the standardization of Korean medicine terminology between North and South Korea can be divided into 4 stages according to the level of exchange and cooperation. The first step is to "establish a foundation for terminology standardization." The second step is "term comparison." If the exchanges and cooperation between North and South Korea, the third step will be to promote the "terminology standardization" project through Inter-Korean dialogue. Finally, after incorporating discussion on terminology standardization, the Inter-Korean Medicine Terminology can be published. Conclusions : This requires a system to support and facilitate Inter-Korean medicine exchange and cooperation. It is important to provide a support system that can provide results in a timely fashion by training relevant experts, collecting data and information, communicating with experts in the industry, academia and research institutes. This system will be able to ensure the continuity of the terminology standardization project.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.76-87
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• 2023

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to draw priorities for candidate projects so that future inter-Korean traditional medicine cooperation can be promoted efficiently and effectively. Methods: This study used the Delphi-AHP method to derive priorities for the inter-Korean traditional medicine cooperation project. First, 33 candidate projects were selected through a data survey. In addition, the priority importance score was calculated through a 2-round mini-Delphi survey of 20 experts. The importance of 33 candidate projects was calculated by three evaluation criteria, and the weights for these three evaluation criteria were derived through the AHP method. Results: As for the weight by item, 'feasibility' was the highest with 0.6749 points, followed by 'social ripple effect' (0.1811) and 'instrumentality' (0.1439). As a result of calculating the importance score by reflecting the weight of the evaluation criteria for each project, the South's sole project, "Understanding the Status of North Korea's Korean Medicine," was the top priority, followed by the "Establishment of Strategy for Inter-Korean Traditional Medicine and Cooperation." Conclusions: As a result of this study, experts now believe that it is important to prioritize the highly feasible South Korean independent project in the field of traditional medicine between the two Koreas. This will serve as the basis for promoting cooperative projects in the event of future changes in the inter-Korean situation.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.209-221
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• 2021

Objectives : The aim of this study was to compare and analyze studies related to fire acupuncture (FA) published in South and North Korea. Methods : FA studies published in South Korea were searched through domestic and overseas databases (KISS, RISS, OASIS, and EMBASE). For North Korean studies, databases from the Information Center on North Korea and Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information were used. Among the searched literatures, clinical studies using FA as a treatment intervention were selected (i.e., randomized controlled trials, and case reports). Finally, information such as the disease for which FA was used, the characteristics of FA, and details of treatment methods for FA were extracted from the screened literatures and the results of South and North Korean studies were compared and analyzed. Results : This review included 28 South Korean studies and 9 North Korean studies. All studies in South Korea, except for the three articles that used traditional FA treatment, applied "warm needling"-like acupuncture (WA) in the form of heating the handle of the needle after inserting the needle into the skin, and most studies were conducted on diseases of the musculoskeletal system. Whereas in the North Korean studies, FA was applied to various diseases such as trigeminal neuralgia, skin diseases, and gastrointestinal diseases, and standardized FA tools were used. Conclusions : Studies on traditional FA treatment have rarely been reported in South Korea. The amount of information described in the FA studies in North Korea was limited. In this review, the characteristics of FA treatment tools in South and North Korean studies were mainly analyzed. In the future, FA studies from more diverse perspectives are needed.