The Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at the Catholic University of Korea College of Medicine dates back to 1960, when the late Professor An Yong-pal (the department’s first chair, who passed away in 1990) began giving weekly one-hour lectures on “Physical Therapy” to medical students. Clinical practice in rehabilitation medicine formally began on December 4, 1961, with the opening of Myeongdong St. Mary’s Hospital (now relocated to Yeouido), which included a “Physical Therapy Room” and operated under the department name “Physical Medicine.” In 1980, the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine was established as an independent department, and residency training started in 1981. Over the past 45 years, the department has produced a significant number of rehabilitation medicine specialists, accounting for about 10% of all specialists in Korea, and has played a leading role in the field nationwide. Currently, around 240 alumni are active in universities, hospitals, and private practices, and the department has about 30 faculty members working across 8 affiliated hospitals.