EXHIBITION ON HOW ANCESTORS OVERCAME VIRUS

[Anchor Lead]

Amid COVID-19 continuing to spread all around the world, an exhibition has opened in Seoul to show how Korean ancestors overcame infectious diseases many centuries ago, when healthcare was not as advanced as it is today.

[Pkg]

​A strange disease brings death and chaos. Not all the stories of infectious diseases taking lives in the past were fiction. A closer look at the portrait of Kim Sang-ok, who successfully passed the military service exam in the 18th century, reveals tiny spots on his face. They are traces of smallpox. Three out of 18 people in this collection of portraits have such pockmarks on their faces. These are indicators that smallpox was widespread during the Joseon era.

[Soundbite] CHOI JAE-HYUK(VISITOR): "The whole world is having a hard time because of COVID-19. I was surprised to learn that many suffered from infectious diseases in the Joseon era as well."

The devastation of the outbreak was unspeakable. The king blamed himself for the ordeal his people had to go through. Joseon's renowned doctors did everything they could to try and stop the spread of the disease. One of them was Heo Jun, who wrote a book about Joseon's response to an epidemic. It provides a detailed description of measures to prevent a typhus-like disease and the monarchs' responsibility during the outbreak. Those with no access to healthcare resorted to shamanism.

[Soundbite] YOO SAE-ROM(NATIONAL MUSEUM OF KOREA) : "During the Joseon period, people did not view infectious diseases as a problem that had to be solved by individuals. The kings, in particular, believed the entire nation and communities had to join hands to handle outbreaks."

This exhibition puts on display 27 relics showing how Koreans fought against infectious diseases in the past.