Jonaewon

About this place

Jonaewon is Korea's first private medical institution, established in 1599 (the 32nd year of King Seonjo) with Kim Gak, Seong Ram, Yi Jeon, Yi Jun, Gang Eung-cheol, Kim Gwang-du, Jeong Gyeong-se and others at its center, out of a desire to tackle the eradication of disease on their own after the Imjin War. As a private medical office that arose spontaneously to ease the suffering of the people of Sangju, who had been defenseless against disease, its spirit is highly esteemed, and its origins are rare even nationwide. It was not merely a medical office that only carried out medical activities but also became the meeting place of the Naksagye (a local scholars' association), where various events were held; in particular, it is noteworthy that from 1607 until the Gabo Reform (1894) it held the Baeksuhoe (a banquet honoring the elderly). It was a private medical office born of the philanthropic spirit of the scholars of Sangju, who valued human life dearly, and at the same time it put love for the homeland into practice; even now, in order to spread widely the spirit of jonsim aemul (cherishing one's heart and loving all things), the Jonaewon medical practices and the Baeksuhoe are reenacted every October.