Heo Jun

Heo Jun (1546–1615) was a court physician during the reign of King Seonjo of Joseon Dynasty in Korea. He was appointed as a court physician at the age of 29. He wrote a number of medical texts, but his most significant achievement is Dongui bogam, which is often noted as the defining text of Traditional Korean medicine. The work spread to China and Japan, where it is still regarded as one of the classics of Oriental medicine today. Although Heo Jun worked extensively with the royal family, he put a great emphasis on making treatment methods accessible and comprehensible to common people. He found natural herb remedies that were easily attainable by commoners in Korea. Furthermore, he wrote the names of the herbs using the simple hangul letters instead of using more difficult hanja (Chinese characters), which most commoners did not understand.

Heo Jun's name and accomplishments are widely recognized by Koreans even today. Korean people still refer to Heo Jun's natural remedies found in his Dongui bogam. Heo Jun is the subject of a popular novel published in 1990 titled "Dongeui Bogam" by Eun-Seong Lee. In 2000, the MBC TV series "Heo Jun" based on Heo Jun's life reached record-breaking viewer ratings.