Nationality North Korean McCune–Reischauer Kim Bong-han Years active 1946-1966 Name Kim Bong-han | Choson'gul 김봉한 | |
Kim Bong-han (Chosŏn'gŭl: 김봉한; born 1916) is a North Korean medical surgeon at Pyongyang Medical University and Kyung-Rak institute (KRI). He is primarily known for his research on a proposed mechanism for acupuncture that was not accepted by the mainstream medical community that has come to be called the "primo-vascular system". He received the People's Prize for his research.
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In 1966 the Kyung-Rak institute was closed, and Kim disappeared.
Early life and education
Kim Bong-han was born in 1916. He obtained his medical degree from Seoul National University in 1946. After the Korean War broke out, Kim, who was a physiologist based in South Korea, crossed over to North Korea, leaving his family behind.
Prior to his arrival in North Korea, Kim was affiliated with the Korea Democratic Party.
Primo-vascular system
Kim has claimed the existence of what he calls the Chin-Lo or Kyungrak system, a system of pathways which he proposes form a basis for acupuncture points and meridians, which is also called primo-vascular system.
While working as director of North Korea's Kyung-Rak institute (KRI) from 1962 to 1965, Kim published five articles in the Journal of Jo Sun Medicine, about acupuncture, the Kyungrak system, and the "Sanal" theory. These articles form the basis of the proposed primo-vascular system, which attracted some interest as late as in the early 2010s. Kim's work gained interest abroad and has been later on researched further in Japan, and in South Korea's Seoul National University.
The North Korean government supported Kim's research by supplying his team with various analytical instruments such as microscopes and radioactive tracers, most of which were imported from Eastern Europe. He was awarded the People's Prize for his work on 2 February 1962. Kim's book On the Kyungrak system was originally simultaneously published in Korean and Chinese languages in 1963.
Disappearance
In 1966, the Kyung-Rak research institute was shut down. As of 2012, Kim has not been found.