I congratulate the first release of the Korea Biomedical Review (KBR), the nation’s first English healthcare newspaper. KBR is the ambitious work of the Korean Doctors’ Weekly, which has succeeded as the best Korean newspaper in the healthcare field over the past two decades. It is all the more meaningful because KBR makes its debut when Korea’s high-quality healthcare industry is trying to advance to the world.

The level of Korean medical services has made great strides along with unprecedented economic growth that Korea has made for decades. A case in point is the sharp increase of foreign patients coming to Korea for medical services as well as much news about the overseas expansion of Korean hospital systems. It is the right time to launch KBR that deals with various issues related to Korean healthcare services targeting mainly at foreigners.

The first release of KBR is also significant in the context of the fourth industrial revolution. Biotechnology is one of core drivers to lead the ongoing revolution with fierce competition is underway across the world. Under the situation, KBR, as the pipeline for an information exchange, will be a catalyst to make Korean bio and pharmaceutical companies have the world-class competitive edge.

The Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service (HIRA) will also be able to get much help from KBR. Recently, the global society has focused on HIRA’s successful accomplishment of Universal Healthcare Coverage, in areas such as medical fee evaluation and medical qualify assessment. If KBR helps to publicize the HIRA system, the combination of healthcare specialty and state-of-the-art ICT technology, to the world, the overseas expansion of Korean healthcare service and world-class UHC system will become available for foreigners, too.

There might be difficulties and trials and errors for a pioneer like KBR. As the Bible says, however, “Your beginnings will seem humble, so prosperous will your future be.”

I firmly believe the future of KBR will be great.

Sohn Myong-sei
President
Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service