Sangback Ko, New President of the Korea Health Industry Development Institute: "We Will Build an AI-Driven Biohealth Ecosystem"

Emphasizing the Establishment of a National Biohealth Innovation Policy Platform

Sangback Ko, the newly appointed president of the Korea Health Industry Development Institute, emphasized the institute’s role as a national platform for biohealth innovation policy in his inaugural remarks.

On the 10th, attendees are taking a commemorative photo at the inauguration ceremony of the new director, Sangbaek Ko, held at the headquarters of the Korea Health Industry Development Institute in Cheongju, Chungbuk. Korea Health Industry Development Institute

On the 10th, at the Osong headquarters in Cheongju, Chungbuk, President Ko held his inauguration ceremony and stated, “I feel a great sense of responsibility to take on this role at a time when the biohealth industry is rapidly emerging as a future growth engine for the nation,” adding, “We will strive to become a world-class leading institution specializing in biohealth innovation.”

To this end, President Ko presented four key strategic directions. First, he plans to strengthen the establishment of support policies throughout the entire biohealth industry value chain—including research and development (R&D), industry promotion, workforce development, and global expansion—in order to position the institute as the national biohealth innovation policy platform.

In addition, by strategically fostering the medical artificial intelligence (AI) and digital health industry—including the use of medical data—he aims to build an AI-driven bio and digital health innovation ecosystem.

He also identified securing fundamental technologies, such as new drug development, technology commercialization across the entire value chain, and supporting expansion into overseas markets, as key priorities to promote the commercialization of R&D outcomes and support global market entry.

Furthermore, he announced plans to advance industry-academia-research-hospital collaboration systems and foster regionally specialized bio industries to contribute to balanced national development based on bio clusters.

In terms of organizational management, President Ko said he would create an open organizational culture based on servant leadership that prioritizes listening and support, and would strengthen cooperative networks with government ministries and external experts to enhance the institute’s policy standing.

President Ko has served as a professor at Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine for over 20 years, as well as head of the Future Medicine Industry-Academic Cooperation Team at Yonsei University, director of the Office of Medical Science Research, and president of the Korean Society of Digital Health. He has also built expertise in the healthcare and health industry fields as a member of the National Academy of Medicine of Korea, the Korean Academy of Science and Technology, and the National Bio Innovation Committee.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.