author
Horace Newton Allen
1858–1932
A physician, missionary, and diplomat, he played an unusual role in Korea’s opening to the modern world. His life connects medicine, faith, and international politics at a moment of major change.
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About the author
Born in Delaware, Ohio, in 1858, Horace Newton Allen trained in medicine before entering missionary work. He arrived in Korea in 1884 and became one of the first Western Protestant missionaries to work there, but his medical skills quickly made him especially important.
After treating Prince Min Yeong-ik following the Gapsin Coup, he gained the confidence of the Korean court. He went on to help establish Gwanghyewon, later known as Chejungwon, the country’s first modern Western-style hospital, linking his name closely with the early history of modern medicine in Korea.
Allen later moved from medical mission work into diplomacy, serving in roles connected to both the Korean and American governments and eventually becoming the United States minister to Korea from 1897 to 1905. He died in 1932, remembered as a figure whose career crossed medicine, religion, and foreign affairs in a remarkable way.