Ponghwa Clinic Explained
The Ponghwa Clinic and Hospital is a hospital located in Sinwŏn-dong, Potonggang-guyok, Pyongyang, North Korea, and is believed to be one of the top hospitals in North Korea, treating members of the political elite.[1] [2] [3] It is administered by the Ministry of Public Health.[4]
History
Construction on the clinic began in 1968, on orders from Kim Il Sung.[5] The Clinic opened in 1971.[6] The clinic underwent a series of expansions in 2003-2005 and 2009–2010.[7]
Patients
Access to Ponghwa is restricted to members of North Korea's political elite, and the existence of the hospital is secret within North Korea.[8]
Facilities
The Clinic has a helipad.[9]
It is reportedly one of the few hospitals in North Korea capable of performing complex surgeries.[10]
The ruling Kim family reportedly have a private wing for their healthcare requirements.
Weapons of mass destruction
The Clinic has been linked to the biological warfare program of North Korea.[4] [11]
See also
Notes and References
- Book: Ralph Hassig. Kongdan Oh. The Hidden People of North Korea: Everyday Life in the Hermit Kingdom. 16 April 2015. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. 978-1-4422-3719-3. 87 . On the other hand, an entire mini-industry is devoted to the health care of the Kim family, who, along with top cadres, have access to the Ponghwa (Bonghwa) Clinic, which provides medical care comparable to that found in hospitals in developed countries..
- News: U.S., South Korean intelligence probe reports of Kim Jong Un health woes . . According to Yoon, Kim has a private doctor who resides in Bong Hwa Clinic and Hospital, located in Pyongyang. Bong Hwa is known to treat “only the top officials,” and the first family of North Korea. . March 8, 2018 . https://archive.today/20180308181204/http://www.foxnews.com/world/2018/03/08/u-s-south-korean-intelligence-probe-reports-kim-jong-un-health-woes.html# . 2018-03-08 . Hollie . McKay . 2018-03-08 . live .
- Book: Yonhap News Agency, Seoul. North Korea Handbook. 27 December 2002. M.E. Sharpe. 978-0-7656-3523-5. 436–.
- News: Overview of North Korea’s NBC Infrastructure . 12 . Joseph S. . Bermudez . June 2017 . US-Korea Institute.
- Book: Richard Kagan . Human rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) . Matthew Oh . . December 1988 . Minnesota Lawyers International Human Rights Committee . 978-0-929692-23-4 . 204 . In 1968 Kim ordered the construction of Ponghwa clinic, a secret hospital for Kim and selected members of the elite..
- Book: Springer, Chris . Pyongyang: the hidden history of the North Korean capital. 2003. Entente Bt.. 978-963-00-8104-7. 2003 . Ponghwa Clinic (also known as the "Government Hospital") opened in 1971..
- Web site: Ponghwa Clinic Expanded During 2009-2010. North Korea Leadership Watch. 12 October 2011. 29 February 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20150713111814/https://nkleadershipwatch.wordpress.com/2011/10/12/ponghwa-clinic-expanded-during-2009-2010/. 13 July 2015. dead.
- Book: Helen-Louise Hunter. Kim Il-song's North Korea. 1999. Greenwood Publishing Group. 978-0-275-96296-8. 231.
- News: Foreign doctors, military guards: Bespoke care for North Korea's Kims . October 1, 2014 . James . Pearson . . Tony . Munroe . Alex . Richardson.
- Book: Lankov, Andrei . . 10 April 2013. Oxford University Press. 978-0-19-997584-6. 85.
- News: Illegal export linked to North clinic, bio-war lab . . December 14, 2017 . . March 8, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180308185953/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2006/08/12/national/illegal-export-linked-to-north-clinic-bio-war-lab/ . Kim Young Gun, 58, former president of Tokyo-based Meisho Yoko, told investigators that he was of the belief that the dryer would be used at Ponghwa clinic, which is reserved for VIPs, including high-ranking members of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea but is also believed a biological weapons research lab..
