Eighteen Honorees Recognized Across Six Categories Including Choon Sil Cheong, Head of a Medical Clinic Delivering Care to Eight Hundred Thousand People in Africa

▲ Asan Foundation Holds the 37th Asan Award Ceremony (Photo courtesy of the Asan Foundation)

The Asan Foundation (Chairman Mong-Joon Chung) held the 37th Asan Award Ceremony on November twenty fifth at the auditorium of the Asan Institute for Life Sciences at Asan Medical Center in Seoul.

At the ceremony, the Asan Award was presented to Choon Sil Cheong, 60, director of St Teresa Medical Clinic in Kenya, who has devoted the past twenty-five years to providing medical services to local communities in Kenya and Malawi through clinics and hospitals, benefiting approximately eight hundred thousand people. The Asan Award carries a prize of three hundred million won.

The Medical Service Award was presented to Professor Woong-Han Kim, 62, of Seoul National University College of Medicine, who has performed free heart surgery for eight hundred forty-four children with congenital heart disease in seventeen countries including China, Mongolia, Uzbekistan, and Ethiopia over the past twenty-six years, and has trained more than three thousand local medical professionals.

The Social Service Award was presented to Hyun Il Kim, 59, and Ok Ran Kim, 53, a couple who have dedicated the past twenty-seven years to helping marginalized neighbors gain independence by operating Baha Meal Center, a free dining facility for the homeless, and Blue Whale Recovery Center, a support institution for isolated and withdrawn youth. The Medical Service Award and the Social Service Award each carry a prize of two hundred million won.

In addition, fifteen recipients of the Welfare Practice Award, Volunteer Service Award, and Filial Piety and Family Award were each granted a prize of twenty million won in recognition of their dedication to supporting neighbors and family members in need. A total of one billion won in prizes was awarded to eighteen honorees, including organizations, across six categories.

Choon Sil Cheong, recipient of the Asan Award, committed to helping the poor and the sick and made her perpetual vows as a nun in the United Kingdom in 1995. Believing that she needed practical skills to save lives rather than simply offering support, she obtained her nursing qualification in 1999 and began her life in Africa in 2000.

In Kenya, she led the establishment and operation of St Teresa Medical Clinic in an impoverished area with no medical facilities. In Malawi, she served as the head of Mtengo Wanthenga Hospital, where she built medical and administrative systems and provided high quality healthcare services. She also carried out medical outreach and relief activities for underserved communities, offering hope to residents in need.

Choon Sil Cheong is also leading every stage of the development of a new clinic being built in the rural community of Kangoya in Kenya, from fundraising to design and construction. Although the project has faced delays due to rising exchange rates, increased material costs, and a shortage of donations, she continues to make every effort to ensure its completion.

Professor Woong-Han Kim at Seoul National University College of Medicine and recipient of the Medical Service Award, has performed free heart surgery for 844 children with congenital heart disease in seventeen countries with limited medical resources, beginning with China in 1999 and later including Mongolia, Uzbekistan, and Ethiopia. Believing that true support goes beyond one-time assistance and lies in enabling local professionals to save patients themselves, he has also trained more than three thousand local healthcare workers.

Professor Woong-Han Kim has incorporated a global health program into the regular medical school curriculum to help medical students understand their social responsibilities, and he has trained experts from diverse fields including nursing, engineering, and public health as medical scientists. To address social prejudice against children with congenital heart disease, he has also consistently hiked with young patients since 2016, and in 2024 he successfully reached the Annapurna Base Camp in the Himalayas with adolescents who have overcome the condition.

Hyun Il Kim and Ok Ran Kim, recipients of the Social Service Award, began offering support to youths with nowhere to go in 1998 while running a newspaper distribution center in Bupyeong, Incheon, and over the past twenty-seven years they have extended warm and steady care to people experiencing homelessness as well as isolated and withdrawn young adults.

Hyun Il Kim began supporting people experiencing homelessness in 2009 by handing out instant noodles and other food, and as more individuals gathered, he eventually opened Baha Meal Center, a free dining facility for the homeless. Witnessing the depression and social withdrawal experienced by many young visitors to the center, Ok Ran Kim recognized the urgent need for emotional recovery and led the establishment of Blue Whale Recovery Center in 2019. The center helps young adults overcome isolation and return to a healthy daily life.

At the ceremony, Chairman Mong-Joon Chung of Asan Foundation, said, “I believe that thanks to the noble efforts of the honorees who have quietly devoted themselves to helping neighbors and family members in need, often out of sight, our society has become a warmer place and has found hope in place of despair.”

He added, “It is the responsibility of all of us to help marginalized members of our society live together as part of the community. The Asan Foundation will also continue to do its part, together with you, to support neighbors in need.”

The Asan Foundation established the Asan Award in 1989 to recognize individuals and organizations that have devoted themselves to supporting neighbors in need or have demonstrated exemplary filial devotion. The thirty seventh awardees were selected through a comprehensive review of candidates’ achievements by evaluation committees and steering committees made up of experts from various fields.