Traditional Medicine

Donguibogam to be upgraded to National Treasure status

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by Philip Gowman on 2 May, 2015

in Asides | Traditional Medicine

To be honest, I’ve always wondered why an item listed in UNESCO’s Memory of the World register was only rated a “Treasure” (no 1085) rather than a “National Treasure”. The three sets of the encyclopaedia’s first edition are currently held by the National Library of Korea, the Kyujanggak Institute For Korean Studies and the Academy […]

2013 Travel Diary #26: The first round of farewells

by Philip Gowman 12 September 2013

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Donguibogam Village, Sancheong-gun, Thursday 12 September, 12 noon. After a refreshing herbal tea, it was time for lunch: Sancheong Beef bulgogi with Mr Byeon, Min Hyang-sik and Min Young-ki. Not only barbecued beef, but in increasing order of difficulty, raw beef fillet, raw beef liver, and raw beef lung. I really struggled with the last […]

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2013 Travel Diary #25: The Hallyu 4.0 Experience

by Philip Gowman 12 September 2013

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Donguibogam Village, Sancheong-gun, Thursday 12 September, 9am. At the main entrance to the Expo there is a long parade of information booths and gift stalls. One of the booths was there to promote Hallyu 4.0. Hallyu 1.0 and Hallyu 2.0 are the first and second waves of Korean pop culture spreading through Asia. First came […]

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2013 Travel Diary #24: Yin, Yang and Ginseng

by Philip Gowman 11 September 2013

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Donguibogam Village, Sancheong-gun, Wednesday 11 September, 5:30pm. Refreshed by our nap on the fragrant pillow, we move on from the Traditional Medicine Experience Pavilion to the Theme Hall, outside which stand the statues of the two best known figures in Korean Traditional Medicine, who have now made it into popular culture courtesy of TV dramas: […]

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2013 Travel Diary #23: The pillow of eternal youth

by Philip Gowman 11 September 2013

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Donguibogam Village, Sancheong-gun, Wednesday 11 September, 5pm. At Korean expos, the emphasis is not on the looking. It is on the experiencing. You have to immerse yourself, to touch, to feel, to try something out. At the Sancheong International Traditional Medicine Fair and Festival, then, it was no surprise when the organisers, who had come […]

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2013 Travel Diary #22: Tiger, Bear and herb: the traditional Korean medicine experience

by Philip Gowman 11 September 2013

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Donguibogam Village, Sancheong-gun, Wednesday 11 September, 4pm. In Korean mythology, it seems that it’s not the bear that has the sore head. It’s the tiger. In the Korean Medicine Theme Park, which forms part of the Donguibogam Village, the exhibits focus on the different parts of the human body, but throughout there is the recurring […]

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2013 Travel Diary #13: The Sancheong Oriental Medicinal Herb Institute

by Philip Gowman 9 September 2013

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Sanchong-eup, Sancheong-gun, Monday 9 September, 10am. At the Institute, the chief researcher Dr Kim Yun-geun shows me round the various laboratories. It’s one of those scenarios where the guide has only a few words of English, the subject is extremely specialist and so Kyung-sook, who I discover later has been press-ganged into delivering the presentation […]

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2013 Travel Diary #6: An editing project is born

by Philip Gowman 7 September 2013

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Donguibogam Village, Sancheong-gun, Saturday 7 September, 7am. We must have done some good work on the Blue Label the previous evening, because I wake up very groggy. The forecast for later that day is for clear skies – good news for my Jirisan hike – but for now there is little but grey. In an […]

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2013 Travel Diary #4: Honouring the spirits, feeling the gi

by Philip Gowman 6 September 2013

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Donguibogam Village, Sancheong-gun, Friday 6 September, 9am. In the daylight, I am beginning to get my bearings. The Sancheong World Traditional Medicine Expo is set in a 109 hectare (269 acre) site dominated by the dramatic peaks of Pilbongsan (pencil-peak mountain) and Wangsan (the King’s mountain). The natural slopes of these mountains establish the geography […]

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Traditional medicine is thriving in North Korea

by Philip Gowman 6 May 2013

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An interesting Associated Press article on the prevalence of Traditional Korean Medicine (called Koryo Medicine) in North Korea: “Doctors are more interested in Koryo medicine rather than Western medicine because they can get it more easily,” said Ri Hye Yong, who manages [Pyongyang’s Man Nyon Pharmacy], opened by the government nearly three decades ago. “It’s […]

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Traditional Chinese, Korean and Kampo Medicine: an introduction to the three main strands of Traditional Medicine in Northeast Asia

by Jinwoong Lim and Sena Lee 6 December 2012

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By Jinwoong Lim and Sena Lee According to the World Health Organization (WHO), traditional medicine “refers to the knowledge, skills and practices based on the theories, beliefs and experiences indigenous to different cultures, used in the maintenance of health and in the prevention, diagnosis, improvement or treatment of physical and mental illness.” Implicity bound up […]

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Needles and a mouth organ at Team Korea House

by Philip Gowman 10 August 2012

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Yes, there have been K-pop flashmobs, dancing robots, traditional music performances and comedy magic shows at Team Korea House. There has even been a live radio show broadcast from there, with presenters dressed in royal hanbok. Last Saturday (4 August) was the final performance by Dulsori before they head off to Germany. They opened with […]

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Traditional Korean medicine and hand acupuncture in Team Korea House

by Sena Lee 26 July 2012

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Team Korea House will be located at the Royal Thames Yacht Club, 60 Knightsbridge, during the 2012 London Olympics, from the 27th of July to the 12th of August. In addition to the interviews with the medal winners each morning (9am), a variety of interesting activities and events will take place, including: a drop-in workshop […]

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Chinese Health and Well-being Day at Asia House

by Events Editor 7 July 2012

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A bit off-topic, but since LKL is proud, whenever we can, to publish articles on the subject of traditional Korean medicine, people may be interested in this session at Asia House next Saturday. I’m sure the Chinese do it just as well. Chinese Health and Well-being Day Saturday 14th July, 11:00- 16:00 Asia House In […]

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Sancheong 2012 herbal medicine festival in the news

by Philip Gowman 8 May 2012

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산청 화이팅!!! Glad to see Sancheong’s annual herbal medicine festival featured in the Chosun Ilbo English edition. http://bit.ly/L3ZOY2 Keywords: Places: Sancheong-gun Other tags: Sancheong Herbal Medicine Park

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What is the Donguibogam and what is in it?

by Jin-woong Lim 30 October 2011

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Koreans usually have two choices when they have to visit a clinic: one is a medical clinic, employing western medicine for treatment; and the other is a traditional clinic, employing traditional medicine. There are many obvious differences between the two types, mainly concerning methods of diagnosis and treatment. Most importantly, the traditional medical clinic has […]

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Donguibogam: Prevention before Treatment

by Sena Lee 20 October 2011

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The Donguibogam is a medical encyclopedia written by Heo Jun (1539-1615), a royal physician and renowned doctor, in the 16th to 17th century. People often say there has been no traditional Korean medicine (TKM) doctor greater than him since. The encyclopedia was registered at UNESCO as part of the ‘Memory of the World’ register in […]

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