Cheongyang County Celebrates Second Consecutive Award in Ministry of Health and Welfare's '2026 Best Practices Contest for Regional Plans to Promote Korean Medicine'

Cheongyang County in South Chungcheong Province announced on October 27 that it had won the top prize in the local government category of the “2026 Best Practices Contest for Regional Plans to Promote Korean Medicine,” organized by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. The achievement marks its second consecutive year receiving an award, following an encouragement award last year.

The county was recognized for overcoming the structural limitations of a super-aged region and successfully establishing a locally tailored public healthcare model.

People aged 65 and older account for 42% of Cheongyang County’s total population, making it a super-aged region. The county has limited access to healthcare because of the geographic and transportation constraints typical of rural areas, and demand is particularly high among older residents for Korean medicine services such as pain management and chronic disease prevention.

In response, the county established and has pursued four key strategies under its vision of “Building a locally tailored Korean medicine health care system that all residents can benefit from”: ▲creating a foundation for sustainable Korean medicine policies; ▲strengthening public Korean medicine services; ▲promoting health initiatives tailored to residents; and ▲developing Korean medicine infrastructure and specialty crops.

The county expanded tailored Korean medicine services for older people and medically underserved groups to improve access to healthcare. It also strengthened specialized programs linking local Korean medicine resources with locally produced medicinal herbs, earning a positive response from residents.

“This is the result of continually considering and implementing the Korean medicine health policies that Cheongyang County truly needs, based on the health needs of local residents,” said Jo Gyohee, an administrative officer.

“We will continue to strengthen our locally tailored health care system so that older residents and medically vulnerable groups can access Korean medicine health services more conveniently,” Jo added.

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