The Most Famous
PHYSICIANS from South Korea
This page contains a list of the greatest South Korean Physicians. The pantheon dataset contains 502 Physicians, 3 of which were born in South Korea. This makes South Korea the birth place of the 28th most number of Physicians behind Finland and Romania.
Top 3
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary South Korean Physicians of all time. This list of famous South Korean Physicians is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.
1. Jang-geum (1550 - )
With an HPI of 64.35, Jang-geum is the most famous South Korean Physician. Her biography has been translated into 21 different languages on wikipedia.
Jang-geum (fl. early 16th century) was reputedly the first female Royal Physician in Korean history. She was mentioned 10 times in the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty. It is known that King Jungjong was pleased with Jang-geum's medical knowledge and trusted her with taking care of the royal family. Henceforth, Jang-geum became the third highest-ranking officer in the Court, and was granted the use of Dae (Korean: 대; Hanja: 大; RR: Dae; MR: Tae) (which means "great" in Korean) before her first name. Some sources attest to Jang-geum as a real person and it is still a topic of debate among scholars. Jang-Geum is considered an important person in Korean history, although there is little information about her. Since the king trusted her so much, people started to respect her and give her attention.
2. Heo Jun (1546 - 1615)
With an HPI of 61.32, Heo Jun is the 2nd most famous South Korean Physician. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.
Heo Jun (Korean: 허준; 1539 – 9 October 1615) was a Korean physician. He was the royal chief physician of Naeuiwon during the reign of King Seonjo and King Gwanghae of the Joseon period in Korea.
3. Jim Yong Kim (1959 - )
With an HPI of 51.39, Jim Yong Kim is the 3rd most famous South Korean Physician. His biography has been translated into 42 different languages.
Jim Yong Kim (Korean: 김용; born December 8, 1959), also known as Kim Yong (김용/金墉), is an American physician and anthropologist who served as the 12th president of the World Bank from 2012 to 2019. A global health leader, Kim was formerly the chair of the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School and a co-founder and executive director of Partners In Health before serving as the President of Dartmouth College from 2009 to 2012, becoming the first Asian American president of an Ivy League institution. Kim was named the world's 50th most powerful person by Forbes Magazine's List of The World's Most Powerful People in 2013.
Pantheon has 3 people classified as physicians born between 1546 and 1959. Of these 3, 1 (33.33%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living physicians include Jim Yong Kim. The most famous deceased physicians include Jang-geum and Heo Jun.
