Photo Essay Book Featuring 'Footsteps' on Hwasun Chonnam National University Hospital Website Draws Attention

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Gwan-woo] Hwasun Chonnam National University Hospital has recently attracted attention by uploading the ‘10th Anniversary Commemorative Photo Album’ and the ‘15th Anniversary Commemorative Essay Collection’ on the hospital’s website.

According to Hwasun Chonnam National University Hospital on the 6th, by clicking on the ‘CNUHH Footsteps’ section under ‘Hospital Information’ on the homepage and downloading the files, visitors can view both the photo album and the essay collection at a glance.

The hospital explained that this online release was made considering that despite purchase requests from various sectors, these books were published as limited editions at the time and have now become difficult to obtain.

The two books vividly capture the ‘reverse thinking, innovation, and hardship overcoming process’ of Hwasun Chonnam National University Hospital, and received reviews from readers at the time of publication saying they were “deeply moved.”

The ‘10th Anniversary Photo Album,’ produced to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the hospital’s opening, was published in 2015 under the title ‘Innovation and Passion,’ containing over 500 key photos across approximately 190 pages. This photo album comprehensively includes the historical process, success factors, and contributions to regional development and social responsibility that led the hospital to leap into a global cancer-specialized hospital within just over ten years after opening, becoming known as a ‘success story in the medical field.’

Last year, marking its 15th anniversary, the hospital published an essay collection detailing the overcoming of hardships on its journey from a small provincial town to a global cancer-specialized hospital. Titled ‘Ilsimri-en Salgukkot-i Pindangkke,’ this book spans about 280 pages and includes interviews and memoirs of medical staff and employees, lesser-known anecdotes, and experiences of patients and their guardians.

‘Ilsimri’ is the location of Hwasun Chonnam National University Hospital, and ‘Salgukkot’ (apricot blossom) refers to the medical and humanitarian spirit derived from the Chinese ‘Xinglin Chunman’ story, where instead of charging treatment fees, apricot trees were planted to help patients and the poor.

Hwasun Chonnam National University Hospital, a branch of Chonnam National University Hospital, was established in 1994 on the foothills near Mudeungsan National Park in the town of Hwasun, a rural city near Gwangju Metropolitan City. Until its opening in 2004, it endured a difficult decade marked by internal and external skepticism such as “Will cancer patients come to a rural area?” and “Even if the hospital opens, it might fail within a few years,” as well as the 1997 IMF crisis.

However, overcoming various concerns, the hospital broke the conventional notion that “large hospitals must be located in big cities” and took a pioneering step by starting as a cancer-specialized hospital from the time of its opening. It has overcome unfavorable conditions such as its rural location, prejudice and restrictions of being in the ‘provinces’ rather than the metropolitan area, and regional limitations that made international networking difficult.

Hwasun Chonnam National University Hospital is now recognized for having the highest number of cancer surgeries per bed in Korea, world-class medical quality proven by international medical institution accreditation, higher cancer patient survival rates than metropolitan hospitals, and eco-friendly healing infrastructure. It also plays a key role in the nation’s only Hwasun Vaccine Industrial Complex and is regarded as a promising candidate toward becoming a ‘bio and vaccine powerhouse,’ a national new growth engine.

Shin Myung-geun, director of Hwasun Chonnam National University Hospital, said, “Our hospital was recently selected as one of Newsweek’s ‘World’s Best Cancer Hospitals,’ gaining more attention both domestically and internationally. We want to widely share the history of achievements that overcame difficult obstacles and inspire new courage and hope at a time when everyone is suffering from the aftermath of COVID-19 and economic downturn.”

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