Director Kim Woo-jung of Hebron Medical Center, who was selected as the grand prize winner of the 33rd Asan Award, is treating patients locally in Cambodia. (Photo by Asan Foundation)
[Asia Economy Reporter Chunhee Lee] The Asan Social Welfare Foundation announced on the 21st that it has selected Kim Woo-jung, Director of Hebron Medical Center (68), who established a hospital for low-income residents in Cambodia and has been dedicated to the development of local medical care for 15 years, as the Grand Prize winner of the 33rd Asan Award.
The Medical Volunteer Award was given to Dr. Choi Young-ah (51) of Seoul Metropolitan Seobuk Hospital, who has practiced medical benevolence for homeless people deprived of medical benefits and has worked to improve their quality of life through housing and rehabilitation support. The Social Service Award was given to Kwon Soon-young (74), CEO of Nutrition and Education International (NEI), who contributed to alleviating hunger in Afghanistan by promoting bean cultivation and processing industries.
The award ceremony will be held on the afternoon of the 25th of next month at Asan Hall of the Asan Social Welfare Foundation in Songpa-gu, Seoul. Director Kim Woo-jung, the grand prize winner, will receive a prize of 300 million KRW, and Dr. Choi Young-ah and CEO Kwon Soon-young will each receive 200 million KRW. In addition, 15 winners (including organizations) in three categories?Welfare Practice Award, Volunteer Award, and Filial Piety & Family Award?will each receive 20 million KRW, totaling 1 billion KRW in prize money awarded to 18 winners (including organizations) across six categories.
Director Kim Woo-jung, selected as the grand prize winner, has consistently participated in medical volunteer activities since his days at the Catholic University College of Medicine. After obtaining his specialist qualification, he operated a pediatric clinic before deciding to engage in overseas medical volunteer work in 2006 and heading to Cambodia. While treating low-income residents in Cambodia, he recognized the need to establish a hospital amid the poor local medical environment and in 2007 opened Hebron Hospital by remodeling a small house in the outskirts of Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital, to provide free medical care to low-income patients. "Hebron" is a Hebrew word meaning "village of friends."
Hebron Hospital later expanded by opening a branch in Siem Reap and grew into Hebron Medical Center, which oversees a nursing college, with Director Kim serving as the medical center director. Currently, Hebron Hospital employs a total of 100 staff, including 28 doctors, 35 nurses, and 5 clinical pathologists. It has developed into a medical institution that treats about 60,000 patients annually and performs around 1,000 surgeries each year through 11 departments such as internal medicine, general surgery, and orthopedics, as well as specialized centers like the Cardiology Center and Ophthalmology Center. Since its opening in 2007, more than 440,000 patients have been treated, and through over 1,200 ophthalmologic surgeries and 1,100 cancer surgeries, the hospital has given new hope to patients.
Initially, Hebron Hospital operated as a free hospital for low-income patients, but to ensure stable and sustainable operations, it has implemented a system of partial paid services depending on patients’ financial situations. Additionally, the foundation 'With Hebron' was established in Korea to handle fundraising, laying a systematic foundation for the hospital’s development.
Director Kim is also committed to training local medical personnel. Considering the difficulty of receiving residency training even after graduating from medical school in Cambodia, he launched a three-year residency training program in 2014, educating 16 trainees, and in the same year established a nursing college in partnership with the Royal University of Cambodia, which has produced over 70 graduates to date.
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