SEOUL NATIONAL UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL

Dear Members of Seoul National University Hospital,

As we welcome the hopeful New Year, I would first like to extend my deepest gratitude to all members of our hospital community for your unwavering dedication over the past year in fulfilling our missions of education, research, and patient care.

The year 2025 was a particularly meaningful one, marking the 140th anniversary of Jejungwon, the foundation of Seoul National University Hospital. Amid significant change and numerous challenges, we remained steadfast in our role as Korea’s national central hospital, quietly fulfilling our responsibilities while continuously pursuing innovation and advancement.

At the main hospital, we established a new Research Division to significantly strengthen our research capacity and opened an on-site office in Boston, creating a strategic foothold for research collaboration and technology commercialization with leading global institutions. We also launched the Healthcare AI Research Institute, integrating artificial intelligence, digital healthcare, and precision medicine into clinical practice to further enhance our future medical competitiveness.

Seoul National University Bundang Hospital reinforced its foundation for digital healthcare research by earning certification as a research-driven hospital and held the completion ceremony for SNUHouse, a combined dormitory and clinical support facility. SMG-SNU Boramae Medical Center was once again recognized as Korea’s top public healthcare institution for the eighth consecutive year, reaffirming its role as Seoul’s leading public hospital. Meanwhile, SNUH Healthcare System Gangnam Center continued to demonstrate its expertise as a premier institution in preventive medicine, contributing to the advancement of healthcare nationwide.

Even during challenging times, each of you continued to give your best—to patients and to one another—moving forward step by step with mutual respect. For this, I offer my sincere and heartfelt appreciation once again.

Dear Colleagues,

Our hospital has a long and proud history, grounded in tradition and excellence, with the nation’s finest medical professionals and staff devoted to patient care, the training of healthcare professionals, and medical research. In the coming year, we will actively pursue future medical innovation, with clear goals of strengthening medical education, securing world-class research competitiveness, and realizing truly patient-centered care.

In the area of education, although the recent healthcare policy crisis has entered its final stages, sustained efforts will be required over the coming years for full recovery. The most important lesson we have learned is that improving medical education and training systems—the very foundation of patient care and the medical profession—is of paramount importance. As a cradle for future physicians and health professionals, Seoul National University Hospital will further strengthen its commitment to cultivating the next generation of medical talent with both professional excellence and a strong sense of public responsibility. We will enhance the capabilities and roles of clinical support staff, secure a stable workforce of specialists, and improve working conditions for residents across multiple dimensions to elevate the quality of education.

In research, we will accelerate our transition toward a future AI-driven hospital by building a sovereign medical AI ecosystem based on our world-leading medical AI and AI agent platforms. Through our medical-specialized large language model, KMed.AI, and the SNUH.AI agent platform, we have created an innovative environment in which all staff can directly develop and utilize AI tools. Building on this foundation, we will focus on clinical research aimed at overcoming rare and intractable diseases. We will also establish AI-based precision diagnostic systems for rare diseases by leveraging SNUH POLARIS, Korea’s first precision medicine clinical decision support system, along with our specialized research institute data platforms that integrate genomic information.

In patient care, we will continue to serve as the final line of defense in protecting the lives of patients and the public from severe and rare diseases, as well as infectious threats. Fortunately, the disruptions in care experienced in the latter half of last year have gradually eased, allowing us once again to provide appropriate medical services to all who seek care at Seoul National University Hospital. In the year ahead, we will remain fully committed to our social mission of safeguarding the nation’s health by strengthening our core clinical functions and capabilities.

As a public medical institution, Seoul National University Hospital will also play a central role in advancing essential regional healthcare, a key priority of the new government’s national agenda beginning in 2026. We will position ourselves as a leading think tank and core platform for national public healthcare policy by strengthening regional healthcare networks, systematizing training programs for public healthcare professionals, and developing digital healthcare–based service models. Through these efforts, we aim to build a robust medical safety net that ensures equitable access to essential healthcare for all citizens.

Dear Colleagues,

In the coming years, Seoul National University Hospital is preparing for another major leap forward, beginning with the opening of the National Fire Hospital, followed by the establishment of the Gijang Heavy Ion Therapy Center in 2027 and the opening of Siheung Baegot Seoul National University Hospital in 2029.

Internationally, building on more than a decade of successful operation of Sheikh Khalifa Specialty Hospital in Ras Al Khaimah, UAE, we will pursue the development of a state-of-the-art, 250-bed AI-based general hospital in Abu Dhabi. This project will serve as a cornerstone of a K-Medical complex, playing a vital role in showcasing the excellence of Korean healthcare on the global stage. In particular, the medical AI technologies we have developed are expected to become a driving force behind healthcare innovation across the Middle East.

Above all, from the main hospital to Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, SMG-SNU Boramae Medical Center, the SNUH Healthcare System Gangnam Center, the National Traffic Injury Rehabilitation Hospital, and Sheikh Khalifa Specialty Hospital, Korean healthcare is now expanding from a single Seoul National University Hospital into the world. When we encourage and respect one another and join hands for the sake of our patients, this shared journey will make Seoul National University Hospital stronger—and warmer—than ever before.

I trust that you will continue to stand with us in the year ahead as we fulfill the mission entrusted to Seoul National University Hospital Group: to uphold our responsibility as the nation’s central hospital and to safeguard the health of the Korean people. I once again thank you for embracing change and actively participating in the growth of our hospital, and I wish you and your families continued joy, health, and happiness in the new year.

Thank you.