Providing Medical and Educational Support in Ukraine, Mongolia and Malawi, They Empower Local Communities by Training Dental Professionals and Women Leaders

- Medical Service Award – Dr. Park Cheol-seong Honored for 32 Years of Medical Service to People with Disabilities in Korea and Medically Underserved Communities in the Philippines and Nepal

- Social Service Award – Chairman Kim Hyeon-su Honored for 34 Years of Supporting the Independence of Adolescents and Young Adults with Borderline Intellectual Functioning and Autism

▲ The 38th Asan Award recipients, Kang Ji heon and Joo Su gyeong couple (Courtesy of the Asan Foundation)

Asan Foundation (Chairman Chung Mong-Joon) has selected Kang Ji heon (male, 66) and Joo Su gyeong (female, 66) as the recipients of the 38th Asan Award. For the past 30 years, the couple has provided medical and educational services to underserved communities in Ukraine, Mongolia, Malawi and other parts of the world, while helping establish a foundation for self-reliance by training dental professionals and supporting children and women.

Kang Ji heon, a dentist, began providing medical services in Ukraine in 1996 and continued his work in Mongolia and Malawi. In Ukraine, he provided mobile dental care in medically underserved areas and Korean communities. In Mongolia, he operated Evada Dental Clinic and trained local dentists, helping them develop the skills needed to operate the clinic independently. In 2015, he moved to Malawi, where medical resources were even more limited, and began operating Epata Dental Clinic. Since then, he has provided medical care to local residents, offered clinical training to dental students, and provided free dental care to refugees.

(Note: Both “Evada” and “Epata” are biblical terms meaning “open.”)

Joo Su gyeong has accompanied her husband in their overseas service efforts; focusing on children’s education and helping women achieve self-reliance. In Mongolia and Malawi, she operated Mother Schools that supported women’s emotional independence and improved family relationships while fostering local women leaders. In Malawi, she also established the Chisomo Child Support Center for children from vulnerable backgrounds, providing after school learning support and helping establish a sustainable foundation for the local community to continue caring for children.

Asan Award in the Medical Service has been presented to Dr. Park Cheol seong (male, 65), director of Park Family Medicine Clinic, for 32 years of providing care to people with severe disabilities and epilepsy in Korea, while also operating clinics and providing mobile medical services in medically underserved areas of the Philippines and Nepal and contributing to the development of local healthcare systems.

Asan Award in the Social Service has been presented to Kim Hyeon su (male, 60), chairman of Friends of the Star, a nonprofit organization, for 34 years of supporting the recovery of youth at risk, people with mental disabilities, homeless people and families of the Sewol Ferry disaster who have experienced emotional and psychological difficulties. He has also established alternative schools and vocational training workplaces for adolescents and young adults who have difficulty adapting to mainstream education due to borderline intellectual functioning, autism and other conditions, building a support system that connects education with employment and social participation.

The awards ceremony will be held on Wednesday, November 25, at the auditorium of the Asan Institute for Life Sciences at Asan Medical Center in Songpa gu, Seoul. The recipients of the Asan Award, Kang Ji heon and Joo Su gyeong, will receive a prize of 300 million KRW, while Dr. Park Cheol seong, recipient of the Asan Award in the Medical Service, and Kim Hyeon su, recipient of the Asan Award in the Social Service, will each receive 200 million KRW.

In addition, 15 recipients across three categories—the Welfare Practice Award, Volunteer Service Award, and Filial Piety and Family Award—will each receive 20 million KRW. A total of 18 recipients, including organizations, across six award categories will receive a combined KRW 1 billion in prize money.

Asan Foundation established the Asan Award in 1989 to recognize and encourage individuals and organizations dedicated to helping people in need or practicing filial piety. For the 38th Asan Award, a committee of experts from various fields conducted a comprehensive review of the nominees’ contributions before selecting the award recipients.

▲ (Left) Kang Ji heon, a recipient of the 38th Asan Award, provides clinical training to dental students at Epata Dental Clinic in Malawi. (Right) Joo Su gyeong, a recipient of the 38th Asan Award, poses for a commemorative photo with participants of the Mother School in Malawi, which supports women’s emotional self reliance and improved family relationships. (Courtesy of the Asan Foundation)

Asan Award recipients Kang Ji heon and Joo Su gyeong have provided medical and educational services in Ukraine, Mongolia and Malawi for 30 years. Kang Ji heon, a dentist, has provided medical care to local residents and trained local healthcare professionals, while Joo Su gyeong has focused on children’s education and support for women. Together, they have helped establish a foundation for local communities to care for people in need independently.

Kang Ji heon decided to pursue long-term overseas service after participating in a short-term medical service trip to Ukraine in 1994, while operating a dental clinic in Korea. From 1996, he lived in Ukraine and provided mobile dental care in medically underserved areas and Korean communities. In 2001, he moved to Mongolia, where he opened Evada Dental Clinic and provided dental care while training local dentists.

After his longtime trainees became capable of independently providing dental care and managing the clinic, Kang entrusted the clinic to them in 2014. Today, Evada Dental Clinic has grown into an established clinic with two directors, 21 staff members and its own building. Dental professionals trained by Kang have continued their service activities, including participating in medical outreach programs at refugee camps in Malawi several years later.

In 2015, Kang Ji heon moved to Malawi, where medical resources were even more limited. In 2017, he opened Epata Dental Clinic, providing dental care to local residents while training local dental professionals. Beginning in 2018, he taught students in the dental therapy program at the National College of Health Sciences. After Malawi’s first national dental school opened in 2019, he also provided clinical training to dental students. He established a teaching and practice area within the clinic, allowing students to apply what they learned in class in an actual clinical setting.

Kang has also provided free dental care to low income patients. Since 2019, he has regularly visited the Dzaleka Refugee Camp in Malawi to provide treatment to refugees and nearby residents. With support from external donors, he introduced a dental 3D CT scanner at Epata Dental Clinic. He also donated the CT scanner previously used at the clinic to a national hospital, helping expand access to dental care for more local residents.

After graduating from a seminary in the United States, Joo Su gyeong has supported children and women in need in rural areas of Malawi. She has provided school tuition and supplies to help children stay in school and taught women sewing skills so they could earn an income. In 2021, she established the Chisomo Child Support Center, where children can study after school and receive the care they need. She is also helping local churches and residents take an active role in running the center.

(Note: “Chisomo” means “grace” in Chichewa, a local language of Malawi.)

Joo has also operated Mother Schools in Mongolia and Malawi, helping women reflect on their lives and family relationships and address challenges in raising children and maintaining relationships with their spouses. In Malawi, she also runs “Happy Mom,” a follow up program in which graduates meet regularly for 12 weeks to put what they have learned into practice and share their experiences. Joo also trains participants to become facilitators who can lead the program, contributing to the development of local women leaders.

▲ (Left) Dr. Park Cheol seong, recipient of the 38th Asan Award Medical Service Award (back row, first from right), poses for a commemorative photo after providing medical care to children living in medically underserved areas of Nepal. (Right) Kim Hyeon su, recipient of the 38th Asan Award Social Service Award (third from right), poses for a commemorative photo with organizers and volunteers of the “Slow Festival,” held for adolescents who have difficulty adapting to mainstream education due to developmental and emotional characteristics, including borderline intellectual functioning.

As the Asan Award in the Medical Service recipient, Dr. Park Cheol seong of Park Family Medicine Clinic, has dedicated himself to medical service after receiving support from an American medical missionary during surgery for complications from polio in his childhood. Since 1994, he has regularly visited Eungwangwon, a residential facility for people with severe brain disorders, providing free medical care to its residents for 32 years. Beginning in 2007, he also provided free medical care to people with epilepsy for approximately 10 years.

In 2004, he lived in the Philippines with his family for about a year, providing medical care to residents of medically underserved areas such as Baseco. He later built and donated the Amisa Clinic in Naic, where local medical professionals and volunteers continue to provide care to residents. In Nepal, he lived for a total of three years and eight months over two periods, providing mobile medical services in more than 100 locations, including remote mountainous areas. He also supported clinics and school health rooms in areas with limited access to medical facilities.

Dr. Park served as the head of medical services at Tikapur Hospital in Nepal, where he helped expand the medical staff and establish a comprehensive care system. The hospital, which had only two doctors at the time, now has around 20 doctors providing healthcare to local residents. Since 2019, he has led a healthcare capacity building project in Nepal supported by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA). He continues to provide medical care to vulnerable populations in Korea and abroad and to support medically underserved areas overseas through Rose Club International.

As the Asan Award in the Social Service recipient, Kim Hyeon su, chairman of Friends of the Star, is a psychiatrist who has supported youth and homeless people facing emotional and psychological crises since 1992. Since 2012, he has supported suicide prevention programs in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province. Following the Sewol Ferry disaster in 2014, he served as head of the Integrated Disaster Psychological Support Center, helping people experiencing mental health crises recover.

In 2002, Chairman Kim established “Star School” with his own funds as an alternative school, providing treatment and education tailored to the individual needs of adolescents who have difficulty adapting to mainstream education due to developmental and emotional characteristics, including borderline intellectual functioning. To help young adults avoid becoming isolated from society after graduating from the school, he launched “Star College” and “Happy Youth School Star” in 2010 as learning and vocational spaces for young adults. Today, young adults work at three workplaces, including a café, a cookie workshop and a publishing operation, where they develop job skills and earn an income.

Chairman Kim also helps young adults turn their talents into social activities by supporting the publication of poetry collections, solo painting exhibitions and music releases. Through parliamentary symposia and other activities, he has consistently raised awareness of the need for education, employment and family support for people with borderline intellectual functioning, while also contributing to the enactment of local ordinances and the expansion of support programs.