Historical Perspectives of the Korean Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery: Pill Whoon Hong (1921–2004), A Pioneer in Cardiothoracic Surgery in Korea

Abstract

Pill Whoon Hong (Fig. 1), the 11th President of the Korean Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgical Society (1982– 1983), was born to a Christian family as the fourth of 6 children on October 10, 1921, in Pyongyang, Korea, when Korea was under Japanese colonial rule. However, he was lucky enough to be exposed to different cultures at an early age as his father was a pastor. His sister, motivated by Christian faith, became a nurse, and he also enrolled at Severance Union Medical College, which was founded by Christian missionaries. © 2023, The Korean Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery