Medical Biology Journalists Association Appoints Kim Gil-won as New President

The Korea Medical Bio Journalists Association announced on the 11th that it held a board meeting on the 8th and appointed Kim Gil-won, a medical specialist reporter (chief) at Yonhap News Agency, as the new president. Kim's term as president will be two years starting from the 11th.

Former President of the Korean Medical Biojournalists Association Kim Cheol-jung and newly appointed President of the Medical Journalists Association Kim Gil-won (fourth from the left) and the association executives are taking a commemorative photo at the board meeting and the president inauguration and retirement ceremony.
[Photo by Korean Medical Biojournalists Association]

Min Tae-won, a medical specialist reporter at Kukmin Ilbo, was appointed as the senior vice president to work alongside the association. Vice presidents appointed include Lee Jin-han, a medical specialist reporter at Dong-A Ilbo, and Lee Geum-sook, a reporter at Health Chosun. Kim Cheol-jung, the first president and a medical specialist reporter at Chosun Ilbo, was honored as honorary president. Established in 2021, the Medical Bio Journalists Association currently has about 100 members working as reporters in the fields of health (medicine and public health welfare), bio, and pharmaceuticals.

President Kim joined Yonhap News Agency in 1996 and has worked in the Chungcheong Reporting Headquarters, the Living Economy Department, and the Information Science Department. Since 2001, he has worked as a specialist reporter in the bio field. He has received awards such as the Pantech Science Journalist Award, the Cancer Prevention Medical Journalist Award, the Grand Prize of the Science Journalist of the Year Award, and the Korean Cancer Association Cancer Media Award. He has also authored works including 'Health Black Box That Saves My Body' and 'Do You Want to Live Long?' (co-authored).

Kim Gil-won said, "While we have experienced a public health crisis due to COVID-19, we are now in a serious period where controversies over essential medical care and the increase of medical school quotas are escalating into an unpredictable confrontation." He added, "Association members will focus on fulfilling the 'fundamental role of journalists' declared at the association's launch to protect public health and to strengthen the social watchdog function for a fair society."