Work and Prospect of Education on Ethics in Medical Colleges -In View of Educational Experience of Yonsei University College of Medicine
Authors: SOHN Myong-sei 
Published: July 2023

The discussion on the necessity of education on medical ethics closely links to questions; what quality one should have to be called a good doctor, and what kind of course will produce good doctors.
We understand the necessity with circumstantial background. Medical surroundings has been rapidly changing. Under this new situation medical personnels are required to demonstrate new role model. However, since there has been no education in concrete shape, with no presentation of ethical standard appropriate for the situation and no awareness on ethical issue, medical personnels are not be able to respond accordingly. And we see conflict here.
In 1981, early March, Professor Nicholas Fotion from Emory University came to the Graduate School of Yonsei University as exchange professor and was in charge of medical ethics. Doctors and the students majoring philosophy jointly attended his class. At that time, as Yonsei University College of Medicine has not formally introduced medical ethics as teaching subject, students were given the opportunity of reading papers and expressing their opinions during their training course of Community Medicine in their 4lh grade. While giving this classroom-level education, we were expecting to see the issue to be elevated to social level.
In 1985, Prof. II Soon Kim took the office as Dean of College of Medicine. In 1986, he initiated the education of medical ethics as an individual subject. Students in iheir 4th grade attended the class for 13 weeks, 2 hours per week during their field training. In 1993 Prof. Hyung Chul Kim with the doctorate of ethics from the University of Chicago began his lecture in the College of Medicine, providing substantial assistance. In 1994，starting from the 2nd semester Graduate School began the lecture on medical ethics’ in the Departments of Medicine and Public Health. In 1996, starting from the second semester molecular biology joint program' began the lecture on ethics on advanced medicine'.
While experiencing this progress, we came to realize that law and ethics are closely related in medicine. For instance, obligation to provide health care which, to our understanding, is an issue to be ethically regulated by medical personnels themselves has been stipulated in the law. Seeing this, we saw the necessity to review medicine-related law from the ethical point of view and to promote ethical awareness among medical personnels. And we also find it more appropriate to conduct interdisciplinary study and lecture, instead of studying them individually.
In 1998，starting from the first semester the Graduate School of Health Science and Management, Yonsei University has established the Department of Medical Law and Ethics and has been advertising for students. On September 1, 1998 Yonsei University College of Medicine has introduced the Department of Medical Law and Ethics. The Graduate School of Yonsei University is planning to operate joint research program on medical law and ethics starting from the second semester, 1999.