A study on medical educational system in North Korea

Medical education in North Korea began with 2 medical colleges established during the 1930s and 1940s, and each Province came to have one medical college by the 1970s. It is presumed to exist 14 medical colleges in 1992. Apart from medical colleges, there are several kinds of medical schools. the number of medical practitioners has increased as the number of educational institutes for medicine increased. In 1996, there was 29.7 medical practitioners for 10,000 persons. They have several kinds of academic degrees in North Korea. They include: Wonsa, candidate Wonsa, doctor, vice-doctor, candidate doctor. In the university they have professor, associate professor, associate professor, lecturer, and research assistant. Academic degrees and positions are given not by the university nor research institute, but by the Government Board for Awarding Academic Degree and Position. Concerning research institutes, there is Chosen Institute for Medical Science that once was a medical research center under the Central Science Academy, and became an independent institute in 1963. Besides this institute, universities have their own research institutes, and there are also some other independent institutes.