The JW Lee Jong-ho Foundation, the public-interest foundation of JW Pharmaceutical (001060.KS), has awarded the 2026 JW Sungchun Prize to Kim Yong-min, professor emeritus at Chungbuk National University College of Medicine, for years of medical volunteer work in conflict zones and underserved areas.
The foundation held the award ceremony on the 21st at JW's headquarters in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, presenting Kim with 100 million won (about $70,000) and a plaque, it said on the 22nd.
Kim stepped down from his professorship in 2018 to work as a field activist with medical relief organizations, carrying out emergency aid in the Gaza Strip, Ethiopia and South Sudan. The professor treated patients with gunshot wounds, trauma injuries and infections at sites lacking medical staff and equipment.
Kim also worked to build local self-sufficiency in health care by training medical personnel. The professor performed complex surgeries in Tanzania and Uzbekistan and passed on surgical techniques to local medical teams, while personally covering living expenses for foreign doctors training in South Korea. At home, Kim continues to provide free treatment to the urban poor and migrant workers through Joseph's Clinic and the Raphael Clinic.
"The patients and medical workers I met in the field, and the good relationships I built with them, are the greatest treasure of my life," Kim said in accepting the award. "I will keep the respect for life embodied in the JW Sungchun Prize deep in my heart and quietly fulfill my calling at the side of patients."
Now in its 14th year, the JW Sungchun Prize was established in 2012 by the late Honorary Chairman Lee Jong-ho to carry on the respect-for-life philosophy of Lee Ki-suk, the founder of JW Pharmaceutical, known by the pen name Sungchun. The foundation has since selected and honored medical professionals devoted to work in the field each year.