Chejungwon (Hangul: 제중원; Hanja: 濟衆院) was founded in Seoul in 1885, and is known as the first Western medical institution in Korea.
In 1885, during the Gapsin Coup, Min Young-ik, the nephew of Empress Myeongseong (wife of Emperor Gojong), was stabbed and seriously injured. The German diplomat Paul Georg von Möllendorff was present at the massacre and quickly requested Dr. Horace Newton Allen's medical care. Horace Newton Allen was an American Presbyterian missionary who studied medicine at Miami University. Under his modern medical treatment unknown to Korea at the time, Min recovered in three months. Thereafter, Gojong displayed an interest in Western medicine, leading to the appointment of Allen as his personal court physician. Together, they established Gwanghyewon (Hangul: 광혜원; Hanja: 廣惠院; lit. "House of Extended Grace" or "Widespread Relief House"), Joseon's first Western hospital, on 29 February 1885. The hospital was located in Jae-dong, Seoul.
On 12 March 1885, Gojong renamed Gwanghyewon as Chejungwon (Hangul: 제중원; Hanja: 濟衆院; lit. "House of Civilized Virtue"). In March 1886, sixteen men were selected as Chejungwon's first batch of students to study Western medicine. Twelve of the sixteen students successfully became doctors.