The Association of Korean Medicine has called for the correct use of the name of traditional medicine practitioners.

The association expressed concern that some media outlets may convey incorrect information by mistakenly calling Chinese medicine doctors or acupuncturists Korean medicine doctors.

It issued a news release on Wednesday, stressing the need to use their title correctly.

"The Korean medicine doctor is a title given to a medical professional who holds a bachelor's degree in traditional oriental medicine from a Korean university or the graduate school of Korean medicine and has passed the licensing examination administered by the Korea Health Personnel License Examination Institute,” the association said.

These professions also should not be referred to as “Chinese medicine doctors” or “American oriental doctors.”

Emphasizing that their official English name is “doctors of Korean medicine,” the association pointed out that referring to a doctor who has studied Chinese medicine as a Korean medicine doctor is an error.

"In China, the graduates of Chinese medicine schools are called 'Chinese doctors,” it added.

The group also noted that it is wrong to refer to American acupuncturists as "American oriental doctors.”

"The United States, Canada, and Europe do not have formal oriental medical schools like Korea. If you complete an acupuncture course offered by some colleges and pass a local test, you are an acupuncturist, not a doctor, " it said. “American oriental doctor is incorrect. American acupuncturist is correct."

The association emphasized that the “doctor of oriental medicine” is also unrelated to the Korean medicine license. It called for caution against some non-Korean medicine doctors who might misuse their degrees.

"There are some cases of non-Korean medicine doctors who pretend to be Korean medicine doctors with degrees. (The media) is requested to take special care not to introduce a person as a Korean medicine doctor just because they have a degree," it added