Kim Yongmin, Former Chungbuk National University Professor, Selected for 2026 JW Sungcheon Award

Leaving His Professorship to Provide Medical Relief in Gaza, South Sudan, and Beyond
Training Local Medical Staff in Tanzania and Uzbekistan

The JW Lee Jongho Foundation announced on the 16th that it has selected Kim Yongmin, former professor at Chungbuk National University College of Medicine, as the recipient of the 2026 JW Sungcheon Award.

The JW Sungcheon Award was established in 2012 by the late Honorary Chairman Lee Jongho to carry on the life-respecting spirit of Lee Kisuk, the founder of JW Pharmaceutical. Each year, the award recognizes medical professionals who have quietly devoted themselves in the field, shedding light on the value of their dedication.

Professor Kim graduated from Seoul National University College of Medicine and served as a professor at Chungbuk National University College of Medicine from 1997. After his early experience caring for Hansen's disease patients on Sorokdo Island, he embraced the conviction that "medicine exists for the patient, not for the doctor." In 2018, he left his secure professorship to fully devote himself to medical volunteering, a long-held aspiration.

Kim Yongmin, former professor at Chungbuk National University College of Medicine, selected as the recipient of the 2026 JW Seongcheon Award. JW Holdings

As a medical relief worker, he was dispatched a total of four times to conflict zones including the Gaza Strip in Palestine, Gambella in Ethiopia, and Abyei in South Sudan, where he provided care for patients with gunshot wounds, trauma, and infections. He carried out emergency medical relief activities by treating patients in regions with a scarcity of medical personnel and equipment. When overseas activities became difficult due to COVID-19, he worked as an orthopedic supervisory specialist at the National Police Hospital at their request, focusing on training the next generation of doctors.

Since 2024, he has continued his personal medical volunteer work in medically underserved areas of Tanzania and Uzbekistan. Professor Kim has traveled at his own expense to these regions to perform complex surgeries himself and train local medical staff in surgical techniques and patient care. Last year, he personally funded the living expenses for two Tanzanian doctors to receive training in Korea, and next month he is set to sponsor domestic training for three more local doctors.

He has also consistently participated in relief efforts for disaster-stricken and medically underserved communities both domestically and abroad, including emergency aid during the 2010 Haiti earthquake, medical support for the PyeongChang Winter Olympics and Paralympics in 2018, and the 2024 Gangwon Winter Youth Olympics. Since 2020, he has provided free medical care for urban poor and migrant workers at Joseph's Clinic and Raphael Clinic.

Lee Seongnak, chairman of the JW Sungcheon Award Committee, commented, "Professor Kim Yongmin has given up the security of a professorship and personal comfort to reach those in conflict zones, medically vulnerable areas, and medically underserved communities in Korea—wherever help is needed. Beyond simply treating patients, he has helped establish a foundation for sustainable medical self-reliance by educating local medical staff and providing support for training in Korea. In this way, he symbolically represents the life-respecting spirit that the JW Sungcheon Award aspires to honor."

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