Seoul Baik Hospital Closes Today After 82 Years of History... Medical Services End at 5 PM

Staff Members Transferred to Capital Area and Busan Paik Hospitals
Suspension of Hospital Closure Expected Next Month

Seoul Paik Hospital will close its doors after 82 years of history, ending medical services at 5 p.m. on the 31st.

On the 31st, when Seoul Baek Hospital ended its medical services, transport workers were moving the ATM boxes that had been installed in the hospital. Photo by Heo Younghan younghan@

Inje University Seoul Paik Hospital announced on the same day that "medical services will end at 5 p.m. today." It has been 82 years since it was established in 1941 as 'Paik Inje Surgical Hospital.'

The hospital stated that the window for issuing medical-related documents such as medical records will continue to operate for the time being. A representative from Seoul Paik Hospital added, "The integrated issuance center for documents such as medical records and imaging CDs will continue to operate until February next year." However, issuance of referral letters and medical certificates (opinions) will only be available until today.

The school foundation Inje Academy, which operates Seoul Paik Hospital, held a board meeting on June 20 at the Paik Hospital building in Jung-gu, Seoul, and passed the 'Seoul Paik Hospital Closure Plan' proposed by the management normalization task force. Inje Academy stated, "After receiving management consulting from an external professional institution and analyzing and discussing all alternatives including hospital maintenance, conversion to a specialized hospital, operation of screening and outpatient centers, and nursing hospitals, we concluded that none were effective."

Following the approval of the closure plan, the board informed faculty, staff, and patients that medical services would be provided only until the 31st of this month. With the end of medical services, the hospital will provide guidance on the closure date and related matters such as medical services and issuance of various documents to outpatients, inpatients, and patients with reservations, and will support the transfer of inpatients to other hospitals.

Faculty and staff who worked at Seoul Paik Hospital will be reassigned to other hospitals under the medical center. About 100 employees, approximately 40% of the staff, will be assigned to Sangye Paik Hospital and Ilsan Paik Hospital in the metropolitan area, while about 150 employees, accounting for the remaining 60%, will be assigned to Busan Paik Hospital and Haeundae Paik Hospital in the Busan area. A representative from Seoul Paik Hospital said, "Employees assigned to Paik hospitals in the metropolitan area will start work from September 1, and those assigned to the Busan area will undergo training for job adaptation and start work on either October 4 or 8."

However, since some members of Paik Hospital have filed an injunction against the academy's closure decision in protest, the outcome remains to be seen. A total of 264 faculty and staff, including 24 professors affiliated with Seoul Paik Hospital and 240 general staff such as nurses and administrative personnel, filed an injunction to suspend the effect of the hospital closure resolution against Inje Academy on the 4th. At the hearing held on the 16th, the court requested both parties to submit additional materials by the 6th of next month, so the conclusion is expected after medical services have ended.

Founded in 1941 as 'Paik Inje Surgical Hospital,' Seoul Paik Hospital has operated as the only university hospital in Jung-gu, Seoul. Prior to Seoul Paik Hospital, hospitals in the Seoul area such as Chung-Ang University Pildong Hospital (2004), Ewha Womans University Dongdaemun Hospital (2008), Chung-Ang University Yongsan Hospital (2011), St. Paul’s Hospital (2019), and Jeil Hospital (2021) have closed or relocated.

At the entrance of Seoul Baek Hospital in Jung-gu, Seoul, participants are shouting slogans ahead of the "Baek In-je House Walking Rally and Press Conference to Inherit the Spirit of Dr. Baek In-je and Prevent the Closure of Seoul Baek Hospital."
[Photo by Lee Myung-hwan]

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.