By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter
It's time for Oriental medicine to make a fresh start internationally and the Oriental medicine's association will do its best to support the leap forward, said Kim Hyun-soo, the new president of the Association of Korean Oriental Medicine (AKOM), Tuesday.
At his inauguration ceremony in downtown Seoul, Kim said he will put priority on promoting the science of Oriental medicine to the world.
However, Kim has a lot to do locally, too.
Oriental medicine in Korea is facing major challenges as a case to allow trained western oriental medicine doctors to perform acupuncture is impending at the Supreme Court. A high court in Seoul ruled in favor of the Western medics, but Kim said there is a certain science in the form of treatment that others cannot just ``mimic.''
``What we are pursuing is the health of all people. Acupuncture is not an alternative remedy that anybody can perform. It takes time and effort to learn and my colleagues and I will do our best to set things straight,'' he said.
Kim, born in 1961, graduated from Dongguk University majoring in Oriental Medicine. He was a member of a presidential committee and helped develop the nation's healthcare system. He also served AKOM as vice president between July 2005 and Feb. 2006.