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The five cardiologists from North Korea stand with John Feffer and Karin Lee, the AFSC staff members who coordinated the tour, in the middle. |
N. Korea cardiologists consult with U.S.
doctors
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The five cardiologists from North Korea stand with John Feffer and Karin Lee, the AFSC staff members who coordinated the tour, in the middle. |
Perhaps it is appropriate that these five doctors came from North Korea to the United States to study cardiology, because building peace is, after all, a study in healing the human heart.
Their delegation was sponsored by the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) as part of an effort to help people in both countries build relationships across political boundaries. Professional exchanges are known to be one of the best ways to do this, because sharing common interests has the power to diminish other differences.
The North Korean cardiologists visited medical centers in the northeastern United States, talking with U.S. doctors and watching procedures. The tour was coordinated by Karin Lee and John Feffer, AFSC's East Asian Quaker International Affairs Representatives (QIARs). It is their job to work with others in the region to build trust across lines of division in East Asia, as well as create opportunities to improve U.S.-North Korean relations.
In two weeks the North Korean cardiologists visited seven hospitals and two medical organizations in New York City; Boston, Massachusetts; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Washington, D.C. They made the most of the strenuous pace, said Karin Lee, because they focused in- tensely and worked hard to get as much out of their time here as possible. "Through it all, they were resourceful, energetic, adaptable, and gracious."
Several hospitals prepared lectures, slide shows, and other presentations. Topics covered prevention, rehabilitation, and technical aspects of cardiac medicine. The hospitals were generous with gifts of medical equipment and medications. At one point, a Korean American doctor presented a package of medical supplies, saying, "There is a group of us who have been gathering such equipment to give to North Koreans. We have never found a way in which we could make such a gift. Thank you for this opportunity."
Several strong connections were made between the doctors and their hosts. Karin Lee was impressed by the generous give-and-take. "Before working on this study tour, I was remotely aware of the professional tradition of sharing medical knowledge over international boundaries in the face of differences in resources and wealth. By the end, I was moved by how deeply many doctors hold this commitment."
The North Koreans are particularly interested in finding further study opportunities in the United States, among other hopes to exchange information with their U.S. colleagues. The AFSC will explore these possibilities in coming months.
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