Why would a Korean refer to a doctor as 선생님?

Question

I was talking yesterday to a Korean who had been to the doctor, and they proceeded to tell me what the '선생님' said. I double-checked and they confirmed they were referring to the doctor. Why would one refer to a doctor as 선생님? Would it be ok to *address* the doctor as 선생님? What other positions might be referred to in the same way?

Answer 1

In Korea, "선생님" refers mainly to a teacher in a professional job. However, because Korea is a country that values etiquette, it also uses the word "선생님" to respect those who are in higher positions than you. Sometimes people use that word to those who meets for the first time to be polite. It is similar to adding Sir or Ma'am in English.

Answer 2

It is my understanding that 선생님 is a general term of respect for someone higher than you. As a teacher in Korea, I was more often addressed as 선생님, meaning teacher, than I was by name. This is a common practice across Korean to address someone by their title rather than their name. That someone would use it to address or speak about a doctor is new to me but not surprising.