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Donguibogam to feature at the Thames Festival

Donguibogam
Donguibogam: a volume of Donguibogam is exhibited in the British Museum (The Korea Foundation Gallery)

2013 will see the 400th anniversary of the first publication of the Donguibogam, the most precious book in traditional Korean medicine (TKM). There will be a commemorative World Traditional Medicine EXPO (known as Donguibogam EXPO) in Sancheong in 2013 (6 September — 20 October, 45 days) to celebrate this anniversary. Sancheong County, at the foot of Jiri mountain, is where court physician Heo Jun, who undertook the compilation of this masterwork, first studied medicine.

The Donguibogam Commemoration Organization (동의보감 기념사업단), funded by the Health and Welfare Department of the Korean government, is planning to publish the first full version of the English translation of the Donguibogam next year. It will be exhibited at the 2013 Donguibogam EXPO. Donguibogam will also be translated into French soon.

The organization, launched in 2006, is in charge of various events to promote the Donguibogam both nationally and internationally, most notably in its registration as part of the UNESCO heritage programme in 2009. It is the first medical textbook to have been registered. Since then, copies of the Donguibogam have been travelling abroad to promote its unique idea of TKM. It was exhibited in Frankfurt (Dec 14-18, 2009) and Beijing (Sept 3-7, 2009). Also, on February 1-26, 2011, the Donguibogam was invited to the Toulouse ‘Made in Asia’ event in France, and exhibited in the Toulouse National Library (Bibliotheque d’Etude et du Patrimoine)1. Following the success of the event in Toulouse, the organization is planning to exhibit the Donguibogam at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris next year.

At the 2011 Mayor’s Thames Festival (Sept 10-11), there will be marquees to promote the 2013 Donguibogam EXPO which include the opportunity to experience TKM in various ways: herbal teas, cocktails, cookies, and other herbal products, as well as traditional doctors’ costumes. Experienced TKM practitioners will be there to offer health and well-being advice, and also to answer questions about the Donguibogam itself. It will be a good chance for Londoners to experience TKM first hand.

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In Korean:

  1. A pdf file of the programme of the ‘Made in Asia’ can be downloaded here []

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