[Asia Exclusive] 40 Years of Pride as a Pharmaceutical Man: "Pharmaceuticals Are the Future Food Source and a National Industry"

Won Hee-mok, President of the Korea Pharmaceutical and Bio-Pharma Manufacturers Association

Won Hee-mok, President of the Korea Pharmaceutical and Bio-Pharma Manufacturers Association. / Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ji-hee] "The pharmaceutical industry is both the logistics base of health security and a national industry that represents future growth engines."

This was the slogan presented by Won Hee-mok, Chairman of the Korea Pharmaceutical and Bio-Pharma Manufacturers Association, when he took office in March 2017. This phrase has been a key keyword throughout his more than three-year tenure, from his voluntary resignation in January 2018 following the government Public Officials Ethics Committee's employment restriction decision, to his reappointment about 10 months later, and his re-election this January. Chairman Won has emphasized the social value and importance of the pharmaceutical industry by naming it a national industry.

Chairman Won's connection with the pharmaceutical industry is very special, as shown by his 40-year career. He graduated from Seoul National University College of Pharmacy and took his first step into the pharmaceutical industry by joining Dong-A Pharmaceutical in 1979. After working three years in the company's development department, he solidly built his understanding of the industry through roles such as President of the Gangnam-gu Pharmaceutical Association, President of the Korean Pharmaceutical Association, and Chairman of the Korea Health Personnel Licensing Examination Institute.

In particular, leading discussions on major issues such as the separation of prescribing and dispensing of medicines and the transition to a six-year pharmacy program as President of the Gangnam-gu Pharmaceutical Association and the Korean Pharmaceutical Association is considered a core achievement of his 40-year pharmaceutical career. The process was by no means smooth. He underwent several surgeries due to overwork and stress. Shortly after being elected as the first directly elected President of the Korean Pharmaceutical Association in 2004, he was diagnosed with liver cancer.

In 2017, after becoming the 21st Chairman of the Korea Pharmaceutical and Bio-Pharma Manufacturers Association, Chairman Won experienced ups and downs, including resigning within a year. However, he was reappointed with the evaluation that he was the right person to lead the development of the pharmaceutical industry, and has been steadily realizing achievements. Last year, when COVID-19 spread, the association and member companies jointly launched the Korea Innovative Medicines Consortium (KIMCo) to support joint responses to infectious diseases and innovative drug development.

◆ Career

Born in Seoul, 1954

Graduated Yongsan High School, 1973

Graduated Seoul National University College of Pharmacy, 1977

Received Ph.D. in Pharmacy from Kangwon National University Graduate School of Pharmacy, 2003

Chairman of the Korea Pharmaceutical Informatization Foundation, 33rd and 34th President of the Korean Pharmaceutical Association, 2004

Adjunct Professor at Seoul National University College of Pharmacy, 2006

18th National Assembly Member (Member of the National Assembly Health and Welfare Committee), 2008

Director of the Ewha Womans University College of Pharmacy Health Communication Research Center, 2012

Director of the Social Security Information Service, 2013

Chairman of the 21st Korea Pharmaceutical and Bio-Pharma Manufacturers Association, March 2017?January 2018

Chairman of the 22nd Korea Pharmaceutical and Bio-Pharma Manufacturers Association, December 2018?present

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