A Catholic charity clinic in Seoul is renewing attention to a legacy of free medical care for the poor, marking the 18th death anniversary of its founding director, Sunwoo Kyung-sik.
Joseph Clinic will hold a memorial concert and an academic symposium this month to honor the physician who spent more than two decades treating people excluded from formal healthcare, according to the Archdiocese of Seoul.
The commemoration highlights not only his life but the continuing mission he built, sustained today by medical workers, volunteers, and about 6,000 regular donors.
Sunwoo founded the clinic in August 1987 with like-minded supporters and served as its only full-time doctor, providing free care to the homeless, itinerant individuals, and residents of cramped urban housing.
A graduate of the Catholic University College of Medicine who later obtained certification in internal medicine in the United States, he chose a life of simplicity inspired by Charles de Foucauld, dedicating himself to service that crossed social and economic boundaries.
He described his vocation in simple terms: “poor patients are a gift God has given me.”
Organizers said a memorial concert on April 13 at Myeongdong Cathedral will express gratitude to those who have continued that work. A symposium on April 16 will examine his life through Catholic social teaching, synodality, and the vocation of laypeople.
In 2022, Seoul Archbishop Peter Chung Soon-taick presided over a memorial Mass in his honor.
More than a decade after his death, the clinic he founded continues to serve people on the margins, reflecting a model of care rooted in faith and solidarity.
