Pohang Mayor Lee Gang-deok: "Establishing POSTECH Medical School Is Essential" for Regional Medical Innovation

Attending the Korea Future Medical Innovation Research Association Seminar, Discussing Regional Medical Innovation Plans
Building Collaborative Relationships with Medical Field Experts for the Establishment of the POSTECH College of Medicine

Pohang City is actively taking steps to establish the POSTECH College of Medicine.

On the 12th, Mayor Lee Kang-deok of Pohang attended the 5th seminar of the Korea Future Medical Innovation Research Association held at the Kensington Hotel in Yeouido, Seoul, where he emphasized the importance of regional medical innovation and training physician-scientists, and strongly advocated for the necessity of establishing the POSTECH College of Medicine.

Mayor Lee Kang-deok of Pohang attended the 5th seminar of the Korea Future Medical Innovation Research Association held on the 12th at the Kensington Hotel in Yeouido, Seoul. Photo by Pohang City

The seminar was attended by medical institution officials and researchers including Lim Jong-yoon, Chairman of the Kori Group, Kang Dae-hee, President of the Telemedicine Society, Yoon Seok-jun, Dean of the Graduate School of Public Health at Korea University, Lee Kyung-soo, Vice President of Management Strategy at Yeungnam University, and Hwang Man-soon, CEO of Korea Investment Partners.

The Korea Future Medical Innovation Research Association, launched in March last year, serves as a think tank that researches and proposes medical innovation policies to enhance Korea's medical competitiveness and future value. Kang Dae-hee, former Dean of Seoul National University College of Medicine and President of the Telemedicine Society, and Lim Jong-yoon, former Chairman of the Korea Bio Association and Chairman of the Kori Group, serve as co-representatives.

This seminar was held under the theme "The Direction of Medical Reform in Korea," beginning with a keynote speech by Yoon Seok-jun, Dean of the Graduate School of Public Health at Korea University, followed by presentations from Lee Kyung-soo, Vice President of Management Strategy at Yeungnam University, and Hwang Man-soon, CEO of Korea Investment Partners.

Subsequently, a panel discussion was held to deeply discuss various agendas such as "Directions for Regional Medical Innovation" and "Development of the Bio Medical Industry."

The attendees agreed that problems difficult to solve with medical expertise alone in the existing medical system can be addressed by training physician-scientists who can lay the foundation for bio research based on advanced engineering, and they anticipated that training physician-scientists could be one solution to innovate the underdeveloped regional medical care.

In particular, Mayor Lee Kang-deok emphasized that the introduction of cutting-edge medical technology that combines advanced technology and medicine is essential to resolve regional medical imbalances, and that active efforts must be made to train physician-scientists to realize this.

He also stressed that the "POSTECH College of Medicine," which can provide education integrating engineering and medicine, is the optimal solution for training physician-scientists, and requested the interest and support of the medical community and related organizations.

Mayor Lee Kang-deok said, "It was a meaningful time to share diverse perspectives and experiences of experts in various medical fields and discuss the direction of regional medical innovation," adding, "Based on POSTECH's excellent research capabilities and human resources, I ask for support in establishing the POSTECH College of Medicine to provide high-quality medical services to the region and train physician-scientists who will lead future medicine."

As discussions on medical school quotas for the 2026 academic year are intensifying in the National Assembly, Pohang City plans to actively respond by visiting the National Assembly, holding policy forums and discussions, and continuing consultations with the medical community and related ministries along with Gyeongbuk Province to secure quotas for the POSTECH College of Medicine.

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