Yoon Eul-sik, the vice president for medical affairs and director of Korea University Medical Center, said on the 26th, "We plan to complete the transformation into a medical institution focused on treating severe and intractable diseases by 2028 and to establish four hospitals in Dongtan, Gyeonggi Province, to implement future medical care."
Korea University Medical Center held a meeting this morning at the first medical building of Korea University College of Medicine to announce the master plan containing this information. The year 2028 marks the 100th anniversary of the establishment of Korea University Medical Center.
Korea University Medical Center participated in the Ministry of Health and Welfare's project to transition to a tertiary general hospital at the end of last year, and all three affiliated hospitals, Anam Hospital, Guro Hospital, and Ansan Hospital, were selected as phase 1 research-oriented hospitals in 2025.
The project to transition to a tertiary general hospital aims for these facilities to focus on treating patients with moderate to severe conditions while collaborating with local clinics for milder cases. This policy initiative began under government leadership in October of last year. A research-oriented hospital refers to a facility that has established a virtuous cycle system encompassing 'research and development (R&D) - translational and clinical research - commercialization - product development - treatment.'
On the same day, Yoon the director noted, "Korea University Medical Center has become the first and largest single institution in the country to have three research-oriented hospitals." He added, "The future innovation plan for Korea University Medical Center is to focus on treating the most difficult and challenging diseases and to perform a higher-level role in the medical field through research-oriented virtuous cycle growth."
Korea University Medical Center announced that it has secured external research projects worth over 500 billion won in the past three years. During the same period, the number of intellectual property applications totaled 1,200, and the total amount of contracted fixed technology fees reached as much as 62.7 billion won. Korea University Medical Center stated that it intends to further enhance the research functions of its three affiliated hospitals.
The strategy aims to further advance the smart medical environment by utilizing a data safe utilization center, personal information lifecycle management, and a mobile electronic medical record (EMR) system at Anam, Guro, and Ansan Hospitals, while combining the latest information and communication technologies (ICT), artificial intelligence (AI), and big data to conquer intractable diseases.
Currently, Anam Hospital at Korea University has established four key research areas: biomedical engineering, precision medicine, smart healthcare, and medical data, operating 11 R&D centers and activating a comprehensive research system.
Guro Hospital operates an open lab that includes a key research platform and a medical device development support center in G Valley, establishing an open fusion research infrastructure with industry, academia, and research institutes. Ansan Hospital is also expanding its research space and facilities for animal and cell experiments, currently operating more than 30 advanced joint research equipment. It has also obtained approval for a corporate-affiliated research institute to promote the commercialization of research results.
The medical center also plans to enhance the R&D capabilities for infectious disease vaccines at the Jeongneung Mediscience Park, which was launched in 2021. Previously, a donation of 10 billion won was made for vaccine development by Chung Mong-koo, honorary chairman of Hyundai Motor Group, and a building named 'Chung Mong-koo Future Medical Hall' was established there. The site includes a large-scale biosafety level 3 (ABL3) facility, a central laboratory, and expensive high-tech equipment that can safely handle dangerous novel pathogens while researching vaccines.
On this day, the plan for the construction of a new hospital was also announced. Korea University Medical Center is preparing to participate in the local government's hospital construction competition, identifying the Dongtan area of Hwaseong City as a candidate site for the new hospital. Director Yoon stated, "We will push forward with the construction of four hospitals equipped with the latest medical technologies and smart systems to implement future medical care," adding that the initial candidate sites for the four hospitals were Gwangju and Namyangju, but they have now settled on the Dongtan region.