Cpl. Jaehyung Im, oriental medical care medic and squad leader in the Korean Army, uses acupuncture to treat the ankle pains of an Operation Enduring Freedom coalition officer. (Photo courtesy of U.S. Army)
Cpl. Jaehyung Im, oriental medical care medic and squad leader in the Korean Army, uses acupuncture to treat the ankle pains of an Operation Enduring Freedom coalition officer. (Photo courtesy of U.S. Army)
In the healing practice of acupuncture, pins are placed at specific spots on the body — in this instance, the lower back — in order to balance the invisible energy flowing inside. (Photo courtesy of U.S. Army)
BAGRAM, Afghanistan — No pain, no gain.
That’s what one South Korean soldier is showing coalition forces here, one needle at a time.
Cpl. Im Jae-hyung is a medic deployed to Afghanistan with the South Korean Army. As a civilian, he’s an internal medicine doctor who runs his own six-person clinic in South Korea.
Recently, he began putting his acupuncture needles to work, helping ease aching muscles and tender backs.
Im said he’s offering the traditional method of healing, which has been employed for several thousand years, because he wants to help fellow coalition forces.
“I see the response of the soldiers I treat. They tell me they have less pain, and their response to the procedure is good,” Im was quoted as saying in a news release. “My job is treating people, and that’s what I’m doing.”
Debralee P. Crankshaw contributed to this report.
