The Ministry of Health and Welfare said on the 1st that it appointed attorney Lee Chang-hoon as the fifth president of the Korea Medical Dispute Mediation and Arbitration Agency (the agency).
Lee Chang-hoon, the new president, was born in 1960, graduated from Korea University with a degree in law, and passed the 26th national bar exam. Entering the legal profession as a judge in 1990, Lee served as an advisory attorney at the law firm Doshiwa Saram, vice president of the Seoul Bar Association, adjunct professor at the Judicial Research and Training Institute, and auditor at the Korean Association of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation.
Lee said, "I will strengthen negotiation and mediation capabilities so the agency can embrace patients' pain and also institutionally represent the voices of medical staff, fulfilling its role as a 'bridge.'"
Lee noted, "With the amendment to the Act on Remedies for Medical Malpractice and Mediation of Medical Disputes marking a turning point in how medical disputes are resolved, I will work to ensure the agency fulfills its new social responsibilities."
The Ministry of Health and Welfare said it expects Lee, drawing on broad legal and administrative experience, to strengthen communication between patients and medical professionals and to enhance the agency's mediation function. It also projected that Lee will steer the institution to carry out new roles under the revised medical accident safety net system without setbacks.
Lee's term runs for three years, from Sept. 1, 2026, to Aug. 31, 2029.