Toward Economic Growth: The Development of Public Health Activities in South Korea from 1961 to 1988

Park Yunjae’s chapter investigates South Korea’s development of public health with American aid in the Cold War and the influence of the Japanese model of medical insurance during the years of fast economic growth in the 1970s and 1980s. Against the background of international support including those from the World Health Organization and UNICEF, Park examines the public–private partnership in anti-epidemic disease projects, especially the anti-tuberculosis work. His chapter demonstrates public enthusiasm and cooperation in expanding efforts of disease prevention and control, even when the South Korean government did not make a serious commitment to implement healthcare plans with national resources. It also studies the changes in policies and laws that were related to the development of healthcare and public health. Drawing on the primary sources that he has researched over the years and his book, Modern History of Medicine in Korea (2021), Park Yunjae provides a comprehensive examination and interpretation of the connections between the support of international organizations and the development of healthcare and public health in South Korea.