Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology (소아, 산부인과 / Soa, Sanbuinkwa)
Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology
소아, 산부인과 / Soa, Sanbuinkwa
Translation and backgrounder by Stephen Mercado
A quarterly journal, published by the Science and Encyclopedia Publishing House, of science and technology related to women’s reproductive healthcare as well as healthcare for infants and children
Journal Title: The journal title has various renderings. Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology is the name in English. Its name in a simplified version of the standard McCune-Reischauer (M-R) transliteration system and the actual title in Korean are listed above. In North Korean media, the journal title is transliterated as Soa, Sanbuingwa.
Author Information: Editorials and anecdotes of the Revolution (혁명 일화) are unsigned. The research papers show author names but lack other information common to science papers, such as academic or professional affiliation, academic titles, areas of research or author biography. The journal’s title suggests possible author affiliation with State Academy of Sciences (SAS) institutes, academic departments and/or hospitals related to medical care for children and for women in pregnancy and childbirth.
Subject Matter: The articles have to do with medical care for children and for women in pregnancy and childbirth, including such fields as perinatology.
References: Authors publishing in this journal tend to cite domestic, Chinese and Western monographs and journal articles. Domestic citations include such monographs of the Medical Science Publishing House as 녀성건강관리참고서 [Reference Book of Women’s Healthcare] (2005) and 산부인과학 [Obstetrics and Gynecology] (2009). Among Western works, many are publications of the United States, including the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the classic Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics.
Sections: Each issue comprises a front cover; an unnumbered page with a framed quotation of one of the three generations of the Kim family; a table of contents (TOC) in Korean; the articles; the publishing information; and the back cover.
In recent years, the front cover has shown a slogan over the journal title, under which is the name of the publisher, the issue number and year of issue and the corporate logo. The TOC starts with two or three items, each either an editorial or an anecdote of the Revolution. There follows some number of articles under the section “Research Results” (연구성과). Other sections that often appear in the journal are “General Remarks and Data” (종설 및 자료) and “Cases” (증례). Following the last item is the publishing information. The back cover shows the periodical publication number (prior to 2020) and the journal’s International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)over a bar code in recent years.
Publisher: The publisher’s name in English is the Science and Encyclopedia Publishing House. It is the Kwahak Paekkwa Sajon Chulpansa in simplified M-R and 과학백과사전출판사 in Korean. The publisher’s name appears in Korean on the journal’s cover, which also includes the publisher’s logo: a globe, with a representation of the atom imposed at the top and an abbreviated version of the publisher’s Korean name, 백과 (Paekkwa), at the bottom. Prior to Issue 3, 2018, the publisher’s name printed on the front cover was 의학과학출판사 (Uihak Kwahak Chulpansa, the Medical Science Publishing House). Confusingly, the front cover for the 2016 and 2017 issues, as well as the first two issues of 2018, show the Medical Science Publishing House name together with the Paekkwa corporate logo.
The publisher publishes an issue each quarter, starting in February, for a total of four issues per year. Issue 4 (July), 2020—the latest issue available—according to the TOC and publishing information page, was cumulative issue number 125. The publishing information page also indicated that there was an editorial committee (no members named), the publisher was the Science and Encyclopedia Publishing House, the place of printing was the Pyongyang General Printing Plant, the date of printing was 28 October Juche 109 (2020), and the date of issue was 10 November Juche 109 (2020). The presumed copyright line was Science and Encyclopedia Publishing House 2022, DPR Korea, although the symbol © appeared on the following line before the ISSN. The back cover included a bar code with the ISSN above it. The publishing information has shown other changes over time; for example, in Issue 1, 2011—the earliest issue available—the publisher was the Medical Science Publishing House. Issues from earlier years are unavailable but, in common with other Pyongyang science journals from the first decade of this century, probably lack a copyright line, ISSN and telephone number.