Busan City Hosts the 1st BIG Biohealth Forum

1:30 PM on the 21st at Lotte Hotel Busan, attended by over 80 people including major hospital directors, related organization heads, experts, and company officials

Theme: 'Global Biohealth Hub City Busan'... Exploring biohealth industry development plans, expert presentations, and panel discussions

On the 21st at 1:30 PM, Busan City will hold the ‘2024 1st BIG Biohealth Forum’ at the Pearl Room of Lotte Hotel Busan.

This forum, held for the first time this year, will proceed under the theme ‘Busan, a Global Biohealth Hub City Opening the Era of Bioeconomy,’ featuring expert presentations and panel discussions.

The event is hosted by the city and organized by Busan Technopark (Director Kim Hyung-gyun) and the Regional Medical Innovation Center of Seoul National University College of Medicine (Center Director Kang Dae-hee, Professor of Preventive Medicine at Seoul National University College of Medicine and Biohealth Policy Advisor to the city).

About 80 participants, including heads of major local hospitals, related institution leaders, experts, and company representatives, are expected to attend.

The first part of the forum consists of ▲a keynote speech titled ‘Regional Medical Innovation and the Future of Busan Biohealth’ by Kang Dae-hee, Biohealth Policy Advisor to Busan City, and ▲the inauguration ceremony of the Forum Operation Council.

To discuss mid- to long-term development plans for the biohealth industry and establish a continuous cooperation foundation among institutions, the city formed the ‘Biohealth Forum Operation Council,’ co-chaired by Lee Jun-seung, Deputy Mayor of Busan, and Kang Dae-hee, Biohealth Policy Advisor, with participation from major local hospitals and specialized institutions.

The council’s operating committee members include ▲Park Dong-seok, Director of the City’s Advanced Industry Bureau ▲Jung Sung-woon, Director of Busan National University Hospital ▲Ahn Hee-bae, Director of Dong-A University Hospital ▲Choi Jong-soon, Director of Kosin University Gospel Hospital ▲Lee Yeon-jae, Director of Inje University Busan Paik Hospital ▲Lee Chang-hoon, Director of the Southeastern Regional Radiation Medical Center ▲Kim Hyung-gyun, Director of Busan Technopark ▲Shin Hyun-seok, Director of Busan Research Institute ▲Kim Young-bu, Director of Busan Institute of Science and Technology Advancement ▲Song Bok-cheol, Director of Busan Economic Promotion Agency.

The Operation Council will perform external cooperation and advisory functions and will later form working committees of experts in each field to discuss practical tasks and promotion strategies for fostering the city’s biohealth industry.

In the second part of the event, presentations will be given on the topics of ▲‘Specialization Plan for the Smart Healthcare Cluster’ by Jung Hyung-gu, Head of Policy Research at Busan Institute of Science and Technology Advancement ▲‘Current Status of Busan Healthcare Industry and Measures to Revitalize Industrial Growth’ by Shin Su-ho, Head of Life Care Technology Division at Busan Technopark ▲‘Regional Company Attraction Strategies and Support Measures’ by Bae Soo-hyun, Head of Future Strategy Planning at Busan Research Institute.

Following this, a panel discussion will be held with Kang Dae-hee as the chair, featuring panelists ▲Lee Hong-je, Director of the Research Center at Southeastern Regional Radiation Medical Center ▲Shin Jae-guk, CEO of SP Med (Professor of Pharmacology at Inje University College of Medicine) ▲Kang Tae-heung, Head of New Drug Development at Prestige BioPharma IDC ▲Bae Soo-hyun, Head of Future Strategy Planning at Busan Research Institute ▲Jung Hyung-gu, Head of Policy Research at Busan Institute of Science and Technology Advancement. They will exchange diverse opinions on ‘Strategies for the Future of Busan Biohealth.’

Through this forum, the city plans to diagnose the current status of Busan’s biohealth industry, consolidate innovation capabilities across industry, academia, research, and hospitals, and hold the ‘2nd BIG Biohealth Forum’ in the first half of next year to provide a continuous platform for exchange.

Lee Jun-seung, Deputy Mayor of Busan, stated, “Fostering the biohealth industry will be a solution to the realities Busan faces, such as aging and regional population outflow,” adding, “Taking this forum as an opportunity, we will gather opinions from industry, academia, research, and hospitals to continue tailored policies so that Busan can rise as a ‘Global Biohealth Hub City.’”