The Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korea National Enterprise for Clinical Trials held the "2026 World Clinical Trials Day commemorative event" on the 20th at the Design Hall of Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) in Seoul.
This year's theme was "global clinical trial cooperation," and about 100 people from the domestic pharmaceutical and biotech industry, hospitals, and patient groups attended. World Clinical Trials Day was established to commemorate British Royal Navy surgeon James Lind, who conducted the first modern clinical trial on sailors to treat scurvy on May 20, 1747. In Korea, it was first held in 2017 and marks its 10th edition this year.
At the event, 15 people who contributed to the advancement of clinical trials received the Minister of Health and Welfare's commendation.
Kang Jae-sun, an executive director at CHA Biotech, was recognized for contributions to clinical development of public-interest vaccines and treatments for rare diseases. Oh Seong-yong, a professor at Dong-A University Hospital, was highly evaluated for conducting about 250 global clinical trials over 18 years. Cho Sang-hee, a professor at Hwasun Chonnam National University Hospital, won an award for innovations in clinical research using digital-based research infrastructure and AI and medical data. Kim Seon-woo, an executive director at LSK Global Pharma Services, was recognized for contributing to the advancement of Korea's CRO industry, and ENCell was recognized for its clinical research on advanced biopharmaceuticals for rare and intractable diseases.
Lim Hyeong-seok, a professor at Asan Medical Center, contributed to improving efficiency in new drug development and the conduct of early clinical trials based on pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamic (PD) modeling. In addition, Lim Young-chae, a professor at Chonnam National University College of Medicine; Kim Elisabeth, a Unit Manager at Asan Medical Center; Kim Min-gyeong, a pharmacist at Seoul National University Hospital; and Yoo Jeong-hee, CEO of DreamCIS, received commendations.
Award recipient Cho Sang-hee, a professor at Hwasun Chonnam National University Hospital, emphasized the need to build a digital-based, future-oriented clinical trial environment in a lecture on "the importance of global clinical trial cooperation," saying, "AI- and medical data–based clinical trial innovation and activation of international joint research are key to strengthening international competitiveness."
Jeong Eun-young, director general of the Health Industry Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, said, "Recently, global clinical trials have been expanding in the field of chronic diseases along with the adoption of AI-based technologies," and added, "To strengthen national competitiveness in clinical trials, we will continue to push policies for clinical trial AI transformation (AX), building a clinical ecosystem for chronic diseases, and fostering domestic CROs."
Park In-seok, chairperson of the Korea National Enterprise for Clinical Trials, noted, "Global clinical trials are shifting from competition among individual institutions to competition among cooperative systems that connect patients, medical institutions, and research capabilities," and added, "We will respond to global changes by building disease-specific cooperative systems and strengthening network linkages."