Spring 2025 Southeast Asia Open Lecture: Traditional Medicine and Healthcare in Southeast Asia

The Southeast Asia Center at the Seoul National University Asia Center is pleased to host the Spring 2025 Open Lecture Series under the theme “Traditional Medicine and Healthcare in Southeast Asia.” This lecture series will provide an in-depth exploration of traditional medical systems across various Southeast Asian countries—Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Indonesia—along with the cultural concepts of health and wellness and their contemporary practices.

The lectures will feature a diverse range of topics:

• The historical development and healing philosophy of Thailand’s traditional medicine “Kanphatpenthai” (Prof. Emeritus Hong Koo Kim),

• A comparative analysis of Korean and Vietnamese traditional medicine and regional healthcare cultures (Dr. Siwoo Lee),

• The cultural meanings of health care centered on the Malaysian herbal remedy Tongkat Ali (Prof. Seok-Joon Hong),

• And an anthropological examination of sexuality, self-care, and the integration of wellness and religious ethics in Indonesia (Dr. Youn-Mee Cho).

Through these multifaceted perspectives, the series will offer a comprehensive view of the Southeast Asian notions of the body, healing, and care. We cordially invite all those interested in traditional knowledge systems and their intersections with modern healthcare to join us for this timely and thought-provoking lecture series.

• Audience: Open to all with an interest in the topic

• Dates & Time: Wednesdays, April 30, May 7, 14, 21, 2025 | 5:30 PM – 6:50 PM (60-min lecture + 20-min Q&A)

• Format: Online via the Southeast Asia Center Zoom platform (recording available)

• Organizer: Southeast Asia Center, SNU Asia Center

• Registration: Via Google Form – https://forms.gle/AhEY5XfKTEE3UN989

• Deadline: April 29, 2025

Lecture 1: Traditional Thai Medicine – Kanphatpenthai
Speaker: Prof. Emeritus Hong Koo Kim (Busan University of Foreign Studies)
Prof. Kim is a leading scholar in Southeast Asian studies. He received his B.A. and Ph.D. in Political Science from Hankuk University of Foreign Studies and has held positions at Chiang Mai and Kasetsart Universities in Thailand. His notable publications include Thai Military and Politics, Introduction to Thai Politics, and The Joy of Thai Culture.

This lecture will outline the historical development and theoretical foundation of traditional Thai medicine, rooted in the Sukhothai period's Buddhist texts and later recognized officially by the Thai government. Emphasis will be placed on herbal treatments, Thai massage (UNESCO-listed), and the system's holistic approach to physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being.

Lecture 2: A Comparative Study of Korean and Vietnamese Traditional Medicine
Speaker: Dr. Siwoo Lee, Principal Researcher & Director, KM Data Division, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine
Dr. Lee is a specialist in Sasang constitutional medicine and has conducted collaborative research in China, Japan, Vietnam, and the U.S. His work focuses on genomic epidemiology and cohort-based studies in Korean medicine.

This lecture will compare Korean and Vietnamese traditional medical systems, highlighting shared roots and distinct national developments. It draws on joint research conducted between 2012–2020 and discusses how Vietnamese medicine evolved from Chinese influence to a uniquely Vietnamese model, much like Korea’s development of Hyangyak (local herbal medicine) during the Joseon Dynasty.

Lecture 3: Traditional Healing Practices and the Cultural Meaning of “Health Care” in Malaysia – A Case Study of Tongkat Ali
Speaker: Prof. Seok-Joon Hong, Dept. of Archaeology and Cultural Anthropology, Mokpo National University
Prof. Hong has conducted extensive ethnographic fieldwork in Kelantan, Malaysia, and has led major research on maritime Southeast Asia. His recent publications include Malaysia (2023) and The Islamization of Southeast Asia (Vols. 1 & 2).

This lecture examines the cultural context of health care in Malaysia through the lens of Tongkat Ali, a traditional herbal remedy associated with vitality, sexual health, and athletic performance. The talk will explore how traditional remedies are woven into contemporary discourses of wellness, healing, and consumption in Malaysian society.

Lecture 4: “Sex is Care”: Sexuality, Sensual Pleasure, and Holistic Health in Indonesian Islam
Speaker: Dr. Youn-Mee Cho, Anthropologist & Independent Researcher
Dr. Cho earned her Ph.D. in Anthropology from Universitas Gadjah Mada and has worked with Korean companies in Indonesia as a cultural advisor. She is the author of Sex and Care in Indonesia: Ethnowellness and the Ethics of Intimacy.

This lecture delves into Indonesian understandings of beauty, health, and sexuality. It will present how traditional wellness practices and Islamic teachings are integrated in the pursuit of holistic health. Focusing on how care practices relate to sexual expression, familial harmony, and religious devotion, Dr. Cho reveals the multiple layers of health in the Indonesian cultural landscape.