An expert in diabetes and endocrinology, Professor Sin-gon Kim is also the chair of the Association of Healthcare for Korean Unification. Established in 2014, the Association is a venue for experts who seek unification, with healthcare as a medium for achieving this. It actively participates in multidisciplinary research and academic exchange in various fields of healthcare, including medical science, public health, dentistry, Korean medicine, pharmaceutics, and nursing. Recently, it published a book titled Preparation of health community in the Korean peninsula.

“Unification may be a disaster if we are not prepared for it. That’s why we need to form a pre-unification community. Koreans have gone through the tragic Korean War, and territorial unification does not guarantee harmony among the people. A single health community would be a good starting point since healthcare is the most human path to healing and a way of bridging differences that have accumulated over 70 years. It can lead to both a cultural and an economic community, and even a political and military community in the later stages. In this sense, the Association of Healthcare for Korean Unification is a gathering of people preparing for the formation of a single health community on the Korean peninsula.”

Joint management needed for viruses, fine dust, and earthquakes

Professor Kim emphasized the need for joint management of risks as an integrated community. As demonstrated by the recent pandemic, society must work together as one to survive the effects of viruses and bacterial contagions.

“A common saying these days is ‘one health, one world.’ The Korean peninsula is about 220,000 square kilometers in area. Viruses have no problems crossing the DMZ. For example, cases of malaria re-emerged in South Korea when the parasite trickled in from North Korea. And when North Korea exerted itself to control malaria during the development of Gaeseong Industrial Complex, the disease was eliminated from South Korea as well. We must cooperate to ward off viruses and bacterial contagions. The same goes for fine dust, earthquakes, and other disasters. It is time to establish a single health community on the Korean peninsula in order to prepare for future crises.”

Group photo with the representatives of the International Diabetes Foundation and the Hospitals Association of Korea at Choi Kyung-tae Endocrinology Research Institute in Pyongyang during the launch of short-range missiles in May 2019.

Utilizing Gaeseong Industrial Complex

Professor Kim discussed creative ways of utilizing Gaeseong Industrial Complex. He said, “We have agreed to an armistice, but must work together to fight off viruses, the common enemy of humankind. Gaeseong Industrial Complex can be transformed into a vaccine production site, enabling us to overcome the pandemic. Healthcare-related goods for North Korea can be produced there, and excess goods can be supplied at affordable cost to developing countries.”

“In a way, the pandemic marks the start of a new era of inter-Korean medical cooperation. North Korea is unlikely to suddenly adopt denuclearization, and the United States and the international community will not lift sanctions for no reason. So breakthroughs are needed at this point in time. Since the saving of human lives is more valuable than anything else, the pandemic can help to increase North Korea’s willingness to cooperate.”

Fostering experts in the age of unification
under the Department of Healthcare and Medicine for Unified Korea

Fostering experts is essential in order to create a single health community on the Korean peninsula. Korea University is the only university in Korea offering a degree program under the Department of Healthcare and Medicine for a Unified Korea. The department performs multidisciplinary research in various fields with a focus on healthcare and medicine in preparation for the era of unification.

“Our goal is to understand the status of healthcare in North Korea, play a leading role in academic and technical exchange, and foster healthcare experts capable of contributing to unification. The degree program was created by Dr. Kim Young-hoon, president of Korea University Medicine, and I’m presently in charge. Most of our students are working in the healthcare industry, but the program is open to anyone with an interest in the form of healthcare that can contribute to productive unification.”

To facilitate healthcare-related communication between the two Koreas, Korea University’s Research Institute of Korean Studies and the Center for Lexicography published The Inter-Korean Medical Dictionary. While South Korea uses some English terms, North Korea uses Latin and German terms. For example, there, an x-ray is called “röntgenstrahlen,” and a virus is pronounced “wiirus.” The inter-Korean dictionary covers healthcare and medical terms relevant to all stages of human life, from birth to death.

Interest in healthcare for a unified Korea sparked by painful family history

Professor Kim developed an interest in dimensions of healthcare that can contribute to productive unification after 21 of his family members were persecuted for religious reasons during the Korean War.

“When I was a resident, I was dispatched to Sri Lanka as part of an emergency rescue team in response to the 2005 tsunami. I realized that Sri Lanka was similar to Korea in many ways. It had been occupied by a foreign power, and tens of thousands had lost their lives in the civil war. Upon returning to Korea, I looked up how many people had been killed or injured during the Korean War. It was around five million. And the 1990s March of Suffering in North Korea led to as many as two million deaths caused by starvation. This tragedy reminded me of my family history, and I was ashamed of failing to do my part in Korea. I pondered over how I could help, and began providing free health examinations for North Korean refugees in 2008.”

Meeting of the Association of Healthcare for Korean Unification

Studying the effects of the environment on refugee health

Professor Kim is conducting a study of North Korean Refugee Health in South Korea (NORNS) based on their health examination results, which indicate that North Korean refugees experience more metabolic diseases while adjusting to South Korean society. He said, “The research funds will be used to help them walk more, wear wearable devices to measure activity levels, and develop healthy habits through nutrition counseling.”

The professor will be comparing the health of North and South Koreans, with 34,000 North Korean refugees as subjects. Using a North-South ratio of 1:20, he plans to examine the prevalence of infectious and non-infectious diseases, the diseases causing death in North Korean refugees, differences compared to South Koreans, and influences on the life expectancy of the two groups.

If expanded to the entire Korean peninsula, the study can provide insights into the environmental influences on the health of people who have lived in different environments but share a similar genetic history. He said, “We can expect groundbreaking medical results if the two Koreas work together on comparative studies of citizen health. That’s one of the ultimate goals of the Association of Healthcare for Korean Unification.”

Healing wounds across the Korean peninsula

He said, “We can expect groundbreaking medical results if the two Koreas work together on comparative studies of citizen health. That’s one of the ultimate goals of the Association of Healthcare for Korean Unification.”

“The development of a Korean Covid vaccine at Gaeseong Industrial Complex will be highly symbolic. Since the Korean peninsula is technically still at war, the development of a vaccine available to humanity would be a powerful message in itself. I often remind my students that the child and infant mortality rate just 60 km north of Seoul is five times higher than where we are. We must not overlook the suffering of our neighbors, whose lives are just as precious as ours. The Korean peninsula can be seen as a 70-year-old patient with a serious condition, and recovery will not be easy. Healing the Korean peninsula should be our top priority.”