Handok Holds the 51st Yakyeon Awards Ceremony

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] The 51st Yakyeonsang Awards Ceremony, honoring pharmacists who have contributed to the improvement of public health, will be held on the 15th at the COEX Auditorium in Seoul.

Yakyeonsang (藥硏賞) is an award jointly established in 1970 by Handok and the Korean Pharmaceutical Association. It is awarded annually to association members who have faithfully adhered to the pharmacist code of ethics and devoted themselves to enhancing public health and community development.

The recipients of the 51st Yakyeonsang are five pharmacists: Kim Wi-ryeon (Busan Branch), Choi Jae-yoon (Gyeonggi Branch), Ryu Ho-jin (Chungbuk Branch), Seo Yong-hoon (Jeonbuk Branch), and Baek Hwa-seon (Gyeongbuk Branch). Awardees will receive the Yakyeontap trophy and a prize of 5 million KRW.

Pharmacist Kim Wi-ryeon has greatly contributed to improving the health of local residents and the development of healthcare by actively participating as a delegate of the Busan Pharmaceutical Association and as a director of the Women Pharmacists Association. Pharmacist Choi Jae-yoon was recognized for contributing to the advancement of the pharmaceutical society by playing various roles, including presenting a poster paper at the 27th Federation of Asian Pharmaceutical Associations (FAPA) academic conference held in the Philippines in 2018.

Pharmacist Ryu Ho-jin established the first drug safety education team in the Chungbuk region, contributing to the activation of education on the safe use of medicines. Pharmacist Seo Yong-hoon has worked hard for community development through various social contribution activities and actively participated in the public mask supply project during the mask shortage crisis caused by COVID-19, helping to stabilize mask supply. Pharmacist Baek Hwa-seon, who served as president of the Gyeongsan City Pharmaceutical Association, was recognized for her significant contributions to preventing the spread of COVID-19 in the community through medical volunteer work for marginalized neighbors, social contribution activities, and close communication with related organizations.