[Newsmaker] 82-year-old Seoul Paik Hospital to permanently close its doors

A final decision has been reached to permanently close the 82-year-old Inje University Seoul Paik Hospital, hospital officials announced Wednesday.

Located near Myeongdong Cathedral in Seoul’s Jung-gu district, the general hospital -- which had opened as the nation’s first surgical hospital in 1941 -- has been suffering from mounting losses.

While the exact closure date is yet to be decided, Seoul Paik will “now proceed with necessary preparations in the following weeks, such as issuing medical-related documents for patients to continue their treatment at other institutions,” the officials announced.

Some 400 employees of Seoul Paik will be employed by other hospitals and institutions affiliated with Inje University and Paik Hospitals such as Busan Paik Hospital, Sanggye Paik Hospital, Ilsan Paik Hospital and Haeundae Paik Hospital, they added.

The decision to terminate the hospital’s operations was made during a board meeting held Tuesday. Its self-help task force, after years of austerity efforts, proposed the closure, which was unanimously passed.

The hospital has accumulated a deficit of 174.5 billion won ($135 million) over the past 20 years, according to the foundation that operates Seoul Paik, part of its network of Paik hospitals, as well as the Gimhae-based Inje University.

As for post-closure plans, the foundation said various possible options could be discussed including building a new hospital, running a data center or other businesses at the site, or selling the property.

That, however, will likely be affected by the Seoul city government’s stance, revealed Tuesday, that the hospital site can only be used to house medical facilities. The city government openly opposed the planned closure of Seoul Paik, expressing concerns regarding the potential impact on medical access for residents in downtown areas.

Paik Hospital was established in 1941 as the nation’s first surgical hospital by Dr. Paik In-je, one of the early pioneers in modern Korean medicine.

As the residential population downtown declined over the decades and the hospital building deteriorated, Seoul Paik suffered losses.

News of the hospital’s impending closure has received much attention, as it is located near the high property value district of Myeong-dong.

As the Education Ministry revised a guideline on private universities’ property management in June last year, the official purpose of the site can be altered for commercial usage.

But the Seoul city government said on Tuesday that it plans to allow only medical facilities on the site, which means selling the plot or using the buildings for commercial purposes won’t be easy.

Several general hospitals have shut down in Seoul over the past years. They include Ewha Woman’s University’s Dongdaemun Hospital in 2008; Chung-Ang University’s Yongsan Hospital in 2011; Catholic University of Korea’s St. Paul's Hospital in 2019; and the Cheil General Hospital in Jung-gu in 2021.