백인제 白麟濟
Surgeon and founder of the Paik Hospital foundation
| Life | 1899 ~ 1950 |
| Era | 근현대 |
| Clan | 수원 백씨 |
Life & career
Baek In-je (白麟濟, 1899-1950) was a surgeon from Jeongju, North Pyongan. He graduated first in his class from the Gyeongseong Medical College in 1921 but, because of his part in the March 1st Movement, received his medical license only in 1923. He earned a medical doctorate at Tokyo Imperial University in 1928 and became head professor of surgery at the college the same year.
He opened Baek Surgery in Jeo-dong, Seoul, in 1941, was the first president of the Korean Surgical Society in 1946, and in December that year founded the Baek Hospital Foundation, Korea's first privately established public-interest corporation, which developed into the Inje school foundation (licensed 1979) and the Paik Medical Center.
On July 19, 1950, during the Korean War, he was arrested and taken north with his brother Baek Bung-je; his final fate is unknown. The hanok in Gahoe-dong, Seoul, which he acquired in 1944 and lived in, is now the Baek In-je House, Seoul Folk Cultural Property No. 22; the city bought it in 2009 and opened it to the public in 2015.
A Pioneer of Surgery
After graduating first in his class, earning a doctorate in Japan and heading surgery at his alma mater, he is counted as a leading Korean surgeon of the colonial period. After liberation he led the Korean Surgical Society.
The Baek In-je House in Gahoe-dong
Said to have been built by Han Sang-ryong in 1913 (a record of the 1870s is explained as an error), the hanok has a two-story sarangchae mixing Japanese and Western elements. It is at 16 Bukchon-ro 7-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul, managed by the Seoul Museum of History. Opening hours may change, so check before visiting.
What Could Not Be Confirmed
Korean Wikipedia gives his seat only by category ('Suwon Baek'), and his birth year (1898 or 1899) and death date differ by source. This text gives 1899-1950.
Grave
He was taken north and has no known grave.
Descendants
His work continued through the Baek Hospital Foundation and the Inje school foundation; the Gahoe-dong house passed to his son Baek Nak-jo in 1988 and was sold to the city of Seoul in 2009.