Po Goo Nyo Goan Selected as a 2024 Excellent Hanok House of Seoul
- 작성처
- Date2025.01.03
- 54812
Po Goo Nyo Goan Selected as a 2024 Excellent Hanok House of Seoul
Po Goo Nyo Goan, located within Ewha’s College of Medicine and Ewha Womans University Seoul Hospital, was selected as one of the 2024 Excellent Hanok Houses of Seoul, announced by the Seoul Metropolitan Government.
Established in October 1887 by missionary Mary F. Scranton near Ewha Haktang in Jeong-dong, Po Goo Nyo Goan was Korea’s first modern women’s hospital and medical education institution for women, as well as the predecessor to Ewha Womans University’s College of Medicine and Ewha Womans University Medical Center.
The name Po Goo Nyo Goan (普救女館), meaning “a place that widely protects and saves women,” was bestowed by Emperor Gojong. Located in Jeong-dong, Po Goo Nyo Goan was used as an annex to Ewha Haktang after 1914, but faded into history with the establishment of Ewha Kindergarten in 1921. In 2019, alongside the opening of Ewha Womans University Seoul Hospital in Magok-dong, Gangseo-gu, Po Goo Nyo Goan was restored to continue its founding spirit of “service and sharing.”
The current Po Goo Nyo Goan has been restored to its original state based on the diary of Rosetta Hall, who was the third director of the hospital, and rebuilt as a 128 m2 hanok (traditional Korean house). The structure faithfully replicates the original layout, including operating rooms, patient rooms, and consultation rooms, allowing visitors to experience the atmosphere of Po Goo Nyo Goan in its era. The site also features exhibition areas dedicated to Dr. Esther Kim Pak, past Po Goo Nyo Goan directors, and a nurse training institution. Visitors can explore the interior, which houses old photographs and artifacts, free of charge on weekdays from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (closed for lunchtime from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., as well as on weekends and public holidays). Detailed explanations from archive staff are also available upon request.