[Sportschosun, Reporter Jang Jong-ho] Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong, led by Director Lee Hyeong-rae, held a ceremony on the 4th floor of the annex's Chahuyoung Hall on the 12th to mark its 20th anniversary.
The event was organized to look back on the hospital's past 20 years and to reaffirm its commitment to a new leap forward.
The ceremony began with opening remarks and introductions of guests, followed by a screening of the 20th anniversary retrospective video, "A Reflection on the Future: The Path to a 'Disease-Free Human Society,'" a presentation by Lee Hyeong-rae titled "The Vision and Future of Gangdong Kyung Hee," a commemorative address by Jo In-won, chairman of the Kyung Hee Educational Foundation, a congratulatory performance by the Staff Choir, and closing remarks.
Since opening on June 12, 2006, Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong has established itself as a university hospital serving southeastern Seoul and eastern Gyeonggi Province. Based on a care system in which medicine, Korean medicine, and dentistry work together in one place, it has pursued not only treatment but also holistic healing and care. It has also expanded its responsibility for severe, emergency, and essential care as a Regional Emergency Medical Center and a Regional Disaster Medical Center, strengthening its role as a core institution in local healthcare.
In his commemorative presentation, Director Lee described the 20th anniversary as "the moment when Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong, now 20 years old and coming of age, stands at the center of a major turning point." He said the past two decades were a time of collective effort built by the hospital's staff. He also introduced the new slogan, "Deep Healing, Broad Care," saying the hospital will go beyond treating disease to reach more deeply into patients' suffering and extend its medical mission beyond the hospital walls to the human community.
He highlighted several key tasks for the future, including the transition to a research-oriented hospital, the pursuit of tertiary hospital status, the strengthening of converged medicine based on AI precision medicine, and the building of an open bio-collaboration ecosystem. In particular, he said, "The push for tertiary hospital status is not simply a matter of classification, but a promise to the local community that we will take full responsibility for severe, high-difficulty diseases to the very end." He added, "We will not stop at quantitative growth. Through qualitative innovation, we will move forward as an indispensable core medical institution that no one can replace."
He also outlined the hospital's direction for organizational management and patient-centered care. Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong plans to fully adopt a department-specific responsibility management system and strengthen on-site expertise and execution through the introduction of executive vice president roles for administration and nursing.
Director Lee said, "The dedication of each and every staff member is what defines Gangdong Kyung Hee's standing." He added, "We will build an organizational culture where responsibility and communication take root, so that our staff can work with pride as professionals."
Meanwhile, Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong will continue a range of programs tied to its 20th anniversary. At 10 a.m. the same day, a commemorative symposium was held in Chahuyoung Hall on the 4th floor of the annex under the theme "A Leap Toward the Future: Convergence, Innovation, and Future Medicine." The symposium was designed to explore the direction of future medicine through convergence and innovation based on the hospital's 20 years of achievements, and to discuss the hospital's next leap forward. On June 19, the hospital will hold the "20th Anniversary Staff Awards Ceremony" at the same venue. The ceremony will honor the dedication of staff members who contributed to the hospital's growth and development and express gratitude to those who have helped build its history together.
Jang Jong-ho, Reporter bellho@sportschosun.com
