North Korea is actively promoting its traditional medical practice called manual therapy, claiming that a simple touch can heal diseases. This method, which resembles acupressure, massage, and physical therapy, is touted as effective in treating various ailments, including gastrointestinal disorders, highlighting the purported excellence of Korean medical techniques.
The North Korean monthly propaganda magazine Korea Pictorial reported in its August issue that a middle-aged woman underwent manual therapy at the Koryo Medicine General Hospital, successfully curing her long-standing stomach illness.
The publication asserted that manual therapy has evolved through years of clinical practice, maintaining its unique therapeutic effects and high efficacy.
Hong Yoo-kyung, director of the manual therapy department at an acupuncture hospital, explained that this method stimulates the body’s surface to prevent and treat diseases. Further noting that it can address conditions related to the spine, joints, digestive system, metabolism, eyes, and teeth without medication.
The magazine emphasized that the therapy involves techniques such as pressing, rolling, kneading, stroking, and pinching the patient’s body without instruments to alleviate muscle pain and tension. It highlighted treatment methods including loosening techniques, pressing acupuncture points, passive joint therapy, traction therapy, and spinal correction therapy.
The publication reported that North Koreans living abroad who received manual therapy and recovered from illnesses claimed that it has a unique approach distinct from the massage and acupressure practices found in many other countries.
In addition to manual therapy, North Korea also practices Acupuncture Friction Therapy, which purportedly treats diseases without medication. This method involves applying powdered herbs to the affected area and rubbing them with a reed to generate heat and bioelectric currents, allegedly stimulating blood flow to treat ailments. The country also promotes various traditional folk remedies, such as moxibustion, cupping therapy, steam therapy, hot compress therapy, qigong, and sunbathing, claiming they can cure a wide range of diseases.
North Korea’s promotion of manual therapy aligns with its tendency to emphasize the superiority of domestic technologies across all fields, including self-reliant technology and medicine. Analysts suggest that the country’s reliance on traditional methods stems from the need to develop medical technologies independently amid a shortage of pharmaceuticals.
Under Kim Jong Un’s leadership, which emphasizes improving people’s lives, North Korea is accelerating the spread of medical and pharmaceutical technologies. This includes expanding the use of naturally abundant herbs and constructing numerous local hospitals.
At a groundbreaking ceremony for a hospital in Kangdong County on February 6, Kim declared that 2025 will mark the beginning of a health revolution. Consequently, North Korea plans to pilot hospital construction this year in three locations: Kangdong County, Nampo, and Ryonggang County in North Pyongan Province. The regime aims to establish 20 municipal hospitals annually starting next year.