The JW Pharmaceutical public foundation, JW Lee Jong-ho Foundation, announced on the 22nd that it has selected Gang Dong-won (57), head of the Africa Future Foundation's Zimbabwe branch, and Jeon Jin-kyung (55), medical director, as the recipients of the 2025 JW Suncheon Award.
The JW Suncheon Award was established in 2012 to inherit the spirit of life respect of the founder of JW Pharmaceutical, Seong-cheon (星泉) Lee Gi-seok, and it honors medical professionals who are dedicated in the medical field every year.
Gang Dong-won and Jeon Jin-kyung graduated from Yonsei University College of Medicine and formed a couple in 1997. Afterward, Professor Gang served as a professor of pharmacology at Kwandong University College of Medicine, while Professor Jeon worked as a clinical assistant professor in pediatrics at Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine.
The two first stepped foot in Zimbabwe in 2012 as members of the non-governmental organization (NGO) Africa Future Foundation. They then established a registered NGO with the same name in the Zimbabwe government and have been engaged in dedicated activities for over 10 years. In particular, Professor Gang continued medical volunteer work in Zimbabwe despite having an autoimmune disease.
The two did not stop at medical treatment but also worked to establish a sustainable healthcare foundation in Zimbabwe. Since 2013, they have been appointed as unpaid professors in clinical pharmacology and pediatrics at Zimbabwe's National Medical College, participating in training medical personnel.
They also collaborated with medical institutions in Korea and the Americas to provide overseas training opportunities to Zimbabwean medical staff and support them in accessing the latest medical knowledge and technology. This effort has been recognized as playing a significant role in establishing a self-sufficient local medical system beyond just providing treatment.
Professor Jeon is working as a pediatrician at the Sally Mugabe Children's Hospital affiliated with Zimbabwe's National Medical College. The Sally Mugabe Hospital is a public medical institution where treatment fees are free for those under 5 years old, attracting vulnerable populations. Each year, 3,000 to 10,000 children are hospitalized in this facility.
At the time Professor Jeon began participating in treatment, many patients suffered from infectious diseases, including pediatric AIDS due to vertical transmission through pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding, as well as malaria, typhoid, and bacterial gastroenteritis. The treatment environment was extremely poor, with a 10% mortality rate among visiting children due to a lack of medical equipment and medicines.
Professor Jeon supported the costs of diagnosis and treatment, such as X-rays, ultrasounds, CT scans (computed tomography), and blood tests out of pocket to treat pediatric patients. This provided practical medical access to extremely impoverished patients.
Lee Seong-nak, Chairperson of the JW Suncheon Award Committee (Honorable President of Gachon University College of Medicine), noted, "The two recipients did not stop at simple medical volunteering, but focused on the independence of the local healthcare system and nurturing future medical talent. Their dedication to reaching out to children at the brink of survival and local residents symbolizes the spirit of life respect pursued by the JW Suncheon Award, representing a practice of restoring 'access to treatment' beyond mere medical care."
The award ceremony is scheduled to be held on September 24th at the JW Building in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province.