Good medical care is not created only within the examination room. We believe that how a doctor takes care of themselves and recovers leads to their attitude towards patients. In this video, Dr. Kang Jin-moon, the lead director of Yonsei Star Dermatology, candidly shared his ordinary daily life outside the examination room and the thoughts contained within it.
Why I don't suppress difficult feelings alone
Working at the hospital, there are moments when one's heart feels heavy. Dr. Kang Jin-moon says he chooses to talk sufficiently with the closest person rather than embracing such emotions alone and developing internal illness.
"If I suppressed it alone, I would get sick inside, so I talk about everything. Just having someone listen relieves stress."
Sometimes, through conversations that last two or three hours, he empties his mind, and that settled composure carries over to the examination room the next day. He believes that the habit of healthily letting emotions flow returns as the strength to calmly face patients.
Finding refreshment in small daily routines
There are many ways to refresh one's mind, even without grand hobbies. Dr. Kang Jin-moon sometimes enjoys looking at maps and imagining unfamiliar cities.
- Looking at maps: He opens Google Maps and imagines places he hasn't been, momentarily escaping to another world.
- Cooking: Homemade steak and tomato egg drop soup are his family's favorite dishes.
- Music and relaxation: He considers resting while listening to quiet bird sounds as the best relaxation.
These ordinary moments accumulate to create focus and composure in the examination room.
Thinking of it as an investment in health
His story of starting exercise after much hesitation is also impressive. He is usually frugal but says he doesn't spare expenses when it comes to exercise.
"I think investing in exercise now is a more cost-effective investment than spending hospital fees later when I'm sick."
This attitude of taking care of health proactively, without procrastination, aligns with his philosophy as a dermatologist. He believes that managing problems before they escalate is the wisest choice.
My own pace instead of comparison
Dr. Kang Jin-moon attributes comparison as the reason many people struggle these days. Constantly looking at the glamorous lives beyond social media can easily make one feel small.
"Others' grass always looks greener and bigger. The reality may be different from what is seen."
An attitude of not being swayed by appearances and maintaining one's own pace leads to a medical approach of listening to each patient's concerns as they are. It is a mindset of understanding the person's situation first, rather than setting a predetermined answer.
The heart that returns to the examination room
Time outside the examination room is not merely rest but preparation to face patients again. Conversations with family, simple hobbies, habits of caring for health, and composure unshaken by comparison—these fragments of daily life come together to form the medical approach. Yonsei Star Dermatology believes that good medical care begins with medical staff taking healthy care of themselves.
Written by Dr. Kang Jin-moon, Lead Director (Yonsei Star Dermatology) · Medical Staff Introduction · Last reviewed 2026-06-04