Yonsei University, renowned as one of Korea's most prestigious institutions, appointed Yoon Dong-sup as the 20th President on Thursday. 

Yoon, currently serving as the President and CEO of Yonsei University Health System (YUHS) and Vice President for Health Sciences, marks the fifth president elected from Yonsei University's College of Medicine in 11 years.

According to sources in the medical community, the university’s board of directors named Yoon as the new president during an extraordinary meeting held on Wednesday. Yoon will serve a four-year term from February 2024 to January 2028.

In a policy evaluation meeting on Saturday last week, the Yonsei Faculty Council's Presidential Candidate Selection Management Committee selected three finalists from a pool of 398 faculty members, representing 20 percent of the total. Yoon received the most votes.

The board of directors expressed strong confidence in Yoon's leadership and vision, which have been evident throughout his career, as well as his plans for Yonsei's future development.

Notably, four of Yonsei's previous presidents have hailed from medical schools. They include Ko Byung-gan, Lee Woo-joo, Kim Byung-soo, and Kim Han-joong. 

With Yoon's appointment as the new president, he will become the fifth president with a medical school background.

Yoon built his slogan, “A New Yonsei Era, Opening a Window to the Future," on core values that include Yonsei's commitment to the community and humanity through stewardship based on Christian founding ideals, leading the current era through restoring the self-esteem of Yonsei people and embracing the future through interdisciplinary education and research. 

In line with this vision, Yoon aims to innovate university governance through empowerment, foster creative talents through innovative education roadmaps, ensure global research competitiveness through transdisciplinary research, maintain financial stability through diversified revenues, enhance community welfare, and promote networking on both domestic and international fronts.

Furthermore, he has pledged to strengthen YUHS by supporting world-leading medical research, presenting a blueprint for the future of the medical school, expanding educational and research facilities for the dental school, offering policy support for the nursing school's development, and promoting new hospital initiatives.

Additionally, Yoon plans to provide administrative support for Wonju YHUS, which includes Wonju Severance Christian Hospital and Yonsei University College of Medicine Wonju Campus in Gangwon Province, through expansion and improvement projects. 

"What Yonsei needs now is empowerment,” Yoon said in his development plan for Yonsei University. "We aim to reinvigorate a culture of shared responsibility by granting each institution the practical authority it rightfully deserves."

Yoon is a surgical specialist who graduated from Yonsei University College of Medicine. He served as vice president of Yonsei University College of Medicine's Gangnam campus, chief professor of surgery, and director of Gangnam Severance Hospital. Externally, he served as chairperson of the Korean Surgical Society, and vice president of the Korean Academy of Medical Sciences. His term as president of the Korean Hospital Association ends on April 30, 2024.