Yonsei Severance Hospital

Yonsei University Health System (YUHS) was founded in 1885 as the first modern medical institution in Korea by the American medical missionary, Dr. Horace N. Allen. It began as a small hospital under the name Kwanghyewon, which changed to Chejungwon and then Severance Hospital. As the hospital expanded over the years to include various colleges and research centers, the Yonsei University Health System was born. YUHS has been the leader of medicine and is respected as the protector of Korean health. Furthermore, the roots of Christianity, modern medical education and medical care in Korea can all be linked to YUHS.

YUHS is led by its CEO and President, who also serves as Vice-President for Health Sciences of Yonsei University. As such, he oversees 2 graduate schools (Public Health and Nursing), 3 colleges (Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing) and 5 hospitals (Severance Hospital, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Yongin Severance Hospital, Severance Mental Health Hospital, and the Dental Hospital). Other YUHS facilities include the Medical Library, Medical Research Center, Medical Technology and Quality Evaluation Center, Multidisciplinary Endoscopic Center, Clinical Trials Center and various Research Institutes. Administrative support facilities include Internal Auditing, Planning and Coordination, Public Relations, Medical Informatics, Administration, International Relations, Fundraising Affairs, the Chaplaincy and a Medical Mission Center.

There are approximately 7,000 employees throughout the Health System, which include some 2,000 physicians and 5,000 support personnel. In addition, a total of 24,000 students have graduated from the colleges and graduate schools. The hospitals have around 3,700 beds and see around 3 million outpatients and 1 million inpatients annually. The total lot size is 95,000 Pyung (77 acres) with a building size of 18,000 Pyung (59,508m²=640,538ft²), and a total floor area of 140,000 Pyung (462,840m²=4.98 million ft²).

All facilities under YUHS are modern, house state-of-the-art medical equipment, and are operated by a ubiquitous information system that digitally links all organizations together efficiently. With these infrastructures, YUHS continues to develop by balancing education, research and patient care, which together are helping it to realize its mission of freeing humankind from disease and suffering with the love of God.

Based on more than 120 years of experience in medicine, YUHS will strive to be a leader in the industrialization and globalization of medicine, thus helping it to achieve its goal of becoming the medical hub of Northeast Asia.

“The history of Yonsei University Health System is the history of medicine in Korea.”