Eugene: Korean American Physicians and North Korea

Posted 05:49 PM, October 01, 2006, by esyim

I met with a pediatrics resident at UCSF last week to brainstorm ways to approach work in North Korea. We are both consumed with a desire to help the North Koreans but are unsure how best to approach it. With his experience having traveled to North Korea this past summer and my own experiences with North Koreans in South Korea, we have both learned important lessions regarding potential work in North Korea.

One salient point made during the conversation involved the role of Korean-Americans in serving the North Korean people. From his conversations with North Koreans, the resident learned that natives to North Korea believe that the Koreans in the United States should play a key role in improving the situation in North Korea. I felt this same sentiment when speaking to the North Koreans in South Korea. To the North Koreans, Koreans are all one people, whether in the North, the South, or in the West.

It was an obvious statement but one that struck me at the time.

From this sentiment, we generated an idea to develop improved dialogue between Korean physicians across the globe. Through educational exchange and teamwork, Korean physicians from the North, the South, and from the United States would gain the opportunity to engage pressing health issues in a collegial spirit. It is only a thought at this point, and we are unsure how exactly it will materialize.

On a related note, I recently communicated with Jim Kim from Partners in Health, who may be interested in engaging the issue with us. With the help of other interested parties, these ideas will hopefully materialize into work that will be helpful to the North Korean people.