A growing movement is positioning exercise as an essential pillar of regional health policy. EIM-ROK (Exercise Is Medicine in the Republic of Korea) has launched an initiative to broaden the scope of the "Exercise Is Medicine (EIM)" campaign throughout clinical practice and policy.
Experts from the medical, exercise science, and health policy fields discussed the practical applicability of exercise prescription at the “2025 Exercise is Medicine Academic Conference and Local Government Pilot Project Declaration Ceremony” organized by EIM-ROK last Saturday at Konkuk University Medical Center’s auditorium.
Notably, a large number of family medicine professors participated, presenting concrete implementation strategies for using exercise in primary care to manage chronic diseases and mental health, and to prevent frailty.
It was also decided to pursue plans to expand exercise prescriptions from hospitals to the community, with a declaration ceremony for the local governments’ pilot project. This project originated from a proposal submitted to the public participation platform “Everyone's Plaza,” which EIM-ROK described as “a health innovation model initiated directly by the public.”
The local government pilot project, launching next year, will include deploying local health exercise managers, linking digital exercise prescription platforms, operating disease-specific exercise programs, and resident-participation walking and strength projects.
After pilots in some local governments in 2026, the project will expand nationwide.
In his keynote, EIM-ROK Chairman Kim Jin-gu said, “Exercise is medicine is not a slogan from hospitals, but a policy first proposed by the public. The heart of this pilot is bringing exercise prescriptions from hospitals into communities and daily life.”
Choi Woo-jin, President of the Korea Exercise Specialist Association, stated, “Health exercise managers are experts providing exercise in the field closest to the public, and this project will bring about tangible change.”
EIM ambassadors participated in the declaration ceremony, lending their support to the expansion of community-based exercise environments.
Broadcaster Lee Mi-jin said, “Exercise can restore both body and mind.” Other ambassadors, including comedian Yoon Hyung-bin, speed skater Kim A-lang, and voice actor Jung Nam, shared the message, “Exercise is the best medicine anyone can practice,” through video and audio.
Representatives from EIM Global Headquarters, an affiliate of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), also attended the event. James Skinner, former ACSM president, and Karen Wonders, CEO of Maple Tree and an authority in exercise oncology, visited Korea to present the latest global research and clinical cases on the impact of exercise on mental health and cancer treatment outcomes.
The event concluded powerfully as 400 attendees raised their voices in support of the pilot project. These heartfelt messages will actively inform the design of future models of local government cooperation, laying a strong foundation for ongoing collaboration.
EIM-ROK is the Korean branch of ACSM EIM, a non-profit organization with over 200 participating physicians and exercise specialists.