Shaping Modern Practice in South Korea: A Centennial Review of Orthopaedics at Severance Hospital and Yonsei University College of Medicine
Se-Han Jung, Sung-Hwan Kim, Insok Yeo, Seung Hwan Han, Kyung-Soo Suk, Si Young Park
➢ This review commemorates the centennial of orthopaedic practice at Severance Hospital and Yonsei University College of Medicine by tracing its historical evolution and milestones in modern orthopaedic surgery in South Korea. ➢ Chejungwon, the predecessor of Severance Hospital and Yonsei University College of Medicine, was founded in 1885 as Korea’s first Western-style hospital and played a pivotal role in the introduction and institutionalization of modern medicine in Korea. This development was made possible through the efforts of American missionaries, who contributed to the early establishment of Western medical education and clinical practice. ➢ Modern orthopaedic practice at Severance began in 1926 with the return of Yong-Seol Lee, the first Korean physician to receive structured orthopaedic training in the United States, marking the emergence of orthopaedics as a distinct specialty in Korea. ➢ The establishment of an independent Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Severance Hospital in 1953 further strengthened its academic and clinical foundations during a period characterized by war-related trauma, infectious diseases, and national reconstruction. ➢ Over subsequent decades, the department has contributed to the development of orthopaedic subspecialties, clinical excellence, and academic research, while playing a central role in founding and leading the Korean Orthopaedic Association.