As South Korea has experienced several serious public health outbreaks in recent years, public interest in and awareness of disease prevention and public health care has remarkably increased over time. Accordingly, it is demanded that the South Korean government acquires a sufficient level of knowledge, programs, skills, and systems to effectively respond to potential and immediate health threats and promote public health. Based on these needs and tasks, scholars in academia, not-for-profit organizations, health care industries have also made significant efforts to implement health communication into everyday lives of the public by organizing various health communication events and activities. Responding to the social demands and academic interests in health communication, this article points out and discusses some important topics to further develop health communication scholarship and praxis in South Korea.
최근 수년간 한국은 각종 국민보건을 위협하는 질병 및 현상들을 경험하고 있으며, 국민들 또한 질병예방과 국민보건 전반에 대한 관심이 지속적으로 높아지고 있다. 이에, 한국 정부는 국민보건 향상과 질병예방에 대응하는데 필요한 정보, 지식, 프로그램, 효과적인 시스템 등을 어느 때 보다 절실히 요하고 있는 실정이다. 실질적으로, 학계와 많은 단체들이 대중들의 일상생활에 맞춘 국민건강 향상에 필요한 활동들과 프로그램들을 정착 시키는데 노력하고 있다. 이 모든 사회 및 학계에서의 필요성과 노력들에 대응하여, 본 논문은 보다 나은 헬스커뮤니케이션의 미래와 이에 병행되는 국민보건 향상을 위한 중요한 사항들을 논의하고자 한다.
Health communication in South Korea: Past, present, and future Health communication research and education Health literacy in Korea: A brief review and recommendations Challenges and opportunities for risk communication in South Korea: A case study of MERS-CoV outbreak in 2015 Health campaign trends and strategies in Korea: Examples and perspectives of health care industry Conclusion: Future of health communication in South Korea References
