Korea Future Medical Innovation Research Association Successfully Holds First Regular Seminar

The first regular seminar of the Korea Future Medical Innovation Research Association was successfully held on the 17th.

Amid escalating concerns over a medical crisis due to the government's plan to increase medical school quotas and the sharp conflict with the medical community, the regular seminar of the "Korea Future Medical Innovation Research Association" (hereinafter referred to as Hanmiyeon), where experts from various medical fields gathered to prepare for future medical reform, was held on the 17th at Andaz Seoul Gangnam.

The Korea Future Medical Innovation Research Association was launched in March with experts from various medical fields coming together. Kang Daehee, former dean of Seoul National University College of Medicine and president of the Telemedicine Society, and Lim Jong-yoon, former chairman of the Bio Association and registered director of Hanmi Science as well as chairman of the Kori Group, serve as co-representatives.

On this day, medical experts serving as co-representatives Kang Daehee and Lim Jong-yoon, along with operating and working committee members from each division, gathered to engage in passionate policy discussions for medical reform. Additionally, Ahn Cheol-soo, member of the People Power Party, Park Soo-min, elected representative, and Ahn Do-gul, elected representative of the Democratic Party (participating via video conference), attended to express support at the National Assembly level.

In his opening remarks, co-representative Lim Jong-yoon emphasized the urgency of medical reform, stating, “Medical intellectual property belongs to the nation and its people, and to enhance the country's medical competitiveness and future value, we will propose a nationwide and sustainable future medical innovation policy beyond Healthcare 4.0.” He added, “We will hold the Korea Future Medical Innovation Research Association’s regular seminars at least six times a year and continuously propose future medical innovation policies with the cooperation of experts and policymakers from various fields.”

In his congratulatory speech, Assemblyman Ahn Cheol-soo said, “The paradigm of healthcare has completely changed through COVID-19, and now, as part of medical reform, it is time to proactively prepare a ‘future-oriented legal system’ that anticipates upcoming technological and social changes and removes potential regulatory obstacles in advance.” He urged, “I hope the Korea Future Medical Innovation Research Association will play a significant role in these changes.”

Co-representative Kang Daehee delivered a keynote presentation titled “Future Medicine and Digital Healthcare,” emphasizing the importance of digital healthcare and personalized preventive medicine and ways to promote them. He also explained the purpose, role, and future operational plans of the Korea Future Medical Innovation Research Association, pledging to register it as an official research association under the National Assembly Secretariat to serve as a leading medical think tank in Korea. Hwang Man-soon, head of the Industry Division, presented on “Bio Industry Trends,” highlighting the importance of the state, companies, and investment for the development of the bio-ecosystem and medical reform.

During the open discussion, opinions were raised that digital health, especially digital therapeutics, should be allowed by regulatory authorities to determine pricing and reimbursement structures that compensate private companies for their substantial investments in clinical research, similar to new drugs. It was also agreed to create an environment where a unified economic rationale can be applied globally to obtain appropriate approval values in each country where clinical trials and approval applications are conducted. As the first step, a project to validate multinational clinical trials of digital therapeutics worldwide was planned.

Regarding this first project related to digital health, Hwang Hee, CEO of Kakao Health, welcomed it as a timely strategy and expressed his intention to contribute to the research association’s first project by leveraging his expertise as a healthcare professional.

Professor Yong Hong-taek of Hanyang University (former 1st Vice Minister of the Ministry of Science and ICT) stated, “At a time when innovative policy promotion is necessary to integrate the remarkable advances in science and technology into healthcare, the role of Hanmiyeon is highly anticipated, and I will do my best as a member.”

Following this, Professor Lim In-taek of Catholic University (former Director of Health and Medical Policy at the Ministry of Health and Welfare) said, “To effectively respond to the rapidly changing medical environment and technological changes, our medical system must evolve into a people-centered, digital-based healthcare system, and I will strive to ensure that the newly launched Korea Future Medical Innovation Research Association stands at the center of this effort.”

Meanwhile, the Korea Future Medical Innovation Research Association plans to study ways to expand access to high-quality medical services by establishing a future medical system focused on prevention and management, creating a healthcare ecosystem where the government, medical community, companies, and citizens can coexist, and resolving intergenerational and regional disparities in medical services through digital healthcare. It also aims to serve as a bridge so that policymakers and decision-makers can commonly recognize and empathize with the importance of each policy.

To this end, the Korea Future Medical Innovation Research Association has newly established policy, personnel, and industry divisions. Former 1st Vice Minister of the Ministry of Science and ICT Yong Hong-taek leads the policy division, Seo Yu-mi, former 11th president of the Korea Education and Research Information Service, leads the personnel division, and Hwang Man-soon, CEO of Korea Investment Partners, leads the industry division.