From Ukraine to Malawi, Couple Honored with Asan Award After 30 Years of Service

[Financial News] A dentist who handed over the dental clinic he built to local disciples before moving to an even more underserved area, and his wife, who helped children and women become self-reliant, have been named the recipients of the 38th Asan Award.
The Asan Foundation announced on the 29th that it had selected the couple, Kang Ji-heon and Joo Su-gyeong, as this year's Asan Award recipients for providing medical and educational services in Ukraine, Mongolia, and Malawi for 30 years. The Medical Service Award will go to Park Cheol-seong, director of Park Family Medicine Clinic, while the Social Service Award will be presented to Kim Hyeon-su, chairman of the incorporated association Byeol's Friends.
Kang Ji-heon, who was running a dental clinic, decided to volunteer overseas after taking part in a short-term medical mission in Ukraine in 1994. Beginning in 1996, he provided mobile dental care in medically underserved areas of Ukraine and in Korean diaspora communities. In 2001, he moved to Mongolia and opened Ebada Dental Clinic. Alongside treating patients, he devoted himself to training local dentists. Once his disciples were able to operate the clinic independently, he entrusted it to them in 2014. Ebada Dental Clinic has since grown into a facility with two directors and 21 employees, and medical professionals trained by Kang have also volunteered at refugee camps in Malawi.
In 2015, Kang traveled to the more underserved country of Malawi, where he opened Epata Dental Clinic and took charge of clinical training for students in the country's first national dental program. Since 2019, he has regularly visited Dzaleka Refugee Camp to provide free dental care. After receiving a 3D CT scanner through outside donations, he donated the clinic's existing equipment to a national hospital.
Joo Su-gyeong supported tuition costs for children in rural Malawi and helped women become self-reliant by teaching them sewing skills. In 2021, she established the Chisomo Child Support Center, which provides after-school education and care. She has also operated Duranno Mother School programs in Mongolia and Malawi, helping develop local women leaders.
Park Cheol-seong began providing medical services after receiving help from an American medical missionary during surgery for polio as a child. Since 1994, he has provided free medical care for 32 years at facilities for people with severe brain disorders. He built and donated a clinic in the Philippines, and lived in Nepal for three years and eight months, providing mobile care in more than 100 remote mountain areas. He also helped expand Tikapur Hospital in Nepal from a facility with just two doctors to one with approximately 20.
Kim Hyeon-su, a psychiatrist, has supported the recovery of at-risk youth, homeless people, and people with mental disabilities since 1992. During the Sewol ferry disaster, he served as head of the Integrated Disaster Psychological Support Center. In 2002, he founded the alternative school Seongjang School Byeol with his own funds, teaching adolescents with borderline intellectual functioning and autism. He also helped graduates become self-reliant by supporting their employment at cafes, cookie workshops, and publishing businesses.
The awards ceremony will be held on November 25 in the auditorium of the Asan Institute for Life Sciences at Asan Medical Center in Seoul. The Asan Award recipient will receive 300 million won, while the recipients of the Medical Service Award and Social Service Award will each receive 200 million won. A total of 1 billion won will be awarded to 18 recipients across six categories.
The Asan Award was established by The Asan Foundation in 1989 to honor individuals and organizations devoted to helping people in need or practicing filial piety.
[email protected] Jeong Myeong-jin, Medical Correspondent Reporter