Over 20 Years of Medical Care for the Homeless
Established Nonprofit Supporting Homeless Shelters, Rehabilitation, and Self-Reliance
Choi Young-a, a specialist in internal medicine at Seoul Metropolitan Seobuk Hospital and the 10th Seongcheon Award recipient.
[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-ju] The Jungwoo Academic Welfare Foundation, a public interest foundation of JW Group, announced on the 4th that it has selected Dr. Choi Young-ah, an internal medicine specialist at Seoul Metropolitan Seobuk Hospital, as the recipient of the 10th Seongcheon Award.
The Seongcheon Award was established in 2012 to honor the late Seongcheon Lee Gi-seok, the founder of JW Pharmaceutical, and to discover true medical professionals who serve as role models in society. Each year, one dedicated medical professional who has silently contributed to the promotion of human welfare is recognized.
Dr. Choi was acknowledged for her dedication and service to homeless people for over 20 years, embodying the spirit of respect for life. After entering Ewha Womans University College of Medicine in 1989, she witnessed homeless people sitting by the roadside eating rainwater-mixed rice during a heavy downpour while volunteering at a free meal service in her second year of pre-medical studies. This experience led her to dedicate her life to helping them.
Continuing her medical volunteer work, Dr. Choi obtained her internal medicine specialist qualification in 2001 and has since continued her journey treating the homeless. In 2002, she co-founded the Dail Angel Hospital with Pastor Choi Il-do, known as the "Rice Serving Pastor," in the back alleys of Cheongnyangni and served as the medical director. At that time, Dr. Choi was the hospital's only doctor and lived in nearby staff housing, caring for the homeless day and night.
After Dail Angel Hospital, Dr. Choi continued medical volunteer work for vulnerable groups such as the homeless and elderly living alone, and took the lead in establishing charitable hospitals and non-profit organizations. Since 2004, she has worked as a full-time volunteer doctor at Joseph Clinic in the Yeongdeungpo gosiwon district of Seoul. In 2009, she established the Dasi Seogi Clinic within the Dasi Seogi Comprehensive Support Center, which supports homeless people near Seoul Station, and created the "Mother House," a shelter for homeless women.
In 2015, she published the social medicine professional book "Disease and Poor Life," analyzing major diseases among the homeless she treated and proposing medical care and social reintegration support policies for them. Subsequently, in 2016, she founded the "Recovery Sharing Network" to aid rehabilitation and recovery, and since 2017, she has continued treating homeless patients at the public medical institution Seoul Metropolitan Seobuk Hospital.
Lee Sung-nak, chairman of the Seongcheon Award Committee and honorary president of Gachon University College of Medicine, explained the selection reason: "Dr. Choi’s lifelong dedication to medical care for homeless people in blind spots of healthcare, instead of choosing a stable life, aligns with the life-respecting spirit of Seongcheon Lee Gi-seok." The award ceremony is scheduled to be held on September 21 at the JW Pharmaceutical headquarters in Seocho-dong, Seoul.
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