Late Samsung chairman's donation to aid in regional blood cancer research, treatment
Published: 26 Feb. 2026, 11:58
Updated: 26 Feb. 2026, 12:00
![Kim Ji-yun, a professor of pediatrics at Kyungpook National University Chilgok Hospital, speaks during an interview with the JoongAng Ilbo at the hospital in Daegu on Feb. 19. [SONG BONG-GEUN]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/02/26/eee094e4-fb88-4dde-81b9-aa8292306701.jpg)
Kim Ji-yun, a professor of pediatrics at Kyungpook National University Chilgok Hospital, speaks during an interview with the JoongAng Ilbo at the hospital in Daegu on Feb. 19. [SONG BONG-GEUN]
For years, families of children with blood cancers have traveled to Seoul in search of advanced testing and treatment. A 300 billion won ($210 million) donation from the family of late Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee aims to change that.
The donation will support a four-year national initiative to strengthen pediatric cancer research and treatment at national university hospitals outside Seoul. The goal is to reduce the capital region’s dominance in care and give patients across Korea better access to advanced diagnostic testing.
The program will support Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital in Yangsan, South Gyeongsang, Kyungpook National University Chilgok Hospital in Daegu, Chungnam National University Hospital in Daejeon, Chonnam National University Hwasun Hospital in South Jeolla and Jeju National University Hospital in Jeju.
The need for such support stems from the longstanding concentration of pediatric cancer care in the Seoul Metropolitan Area.
The proportion of pediatric hematologic cancer patients treated in Seoul and Gyeonggi rose from 74 percent in 2015 to 78.3 percent in 2024. Even when hospitals outside the two areas provide treatment, many families travel to the capital region for advanced genetic testing and newer therapies, increasing financial and logistical burdens.
“Several years ago, I attended a medical conference and 15 of the 20 papers presented came from large hospitals in Seoul,” said Kim Ji-yun, a professor of pediatrics at Kyungpook National University Chilgok Hospital. “The remaining hospitals combined barely accounted for five. Hospitals outside Seoul simply did not have the capacity to conduct research.”
![A pediatric care sign at a hospital in Seoul on May 24, 2023. [YONHAP]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/02/26/f739c305-0cc9-4bed-8c5c-e010585df4a3.jpg)
A pediatric care sign at a hospital in Seoul on May 24, 2023. [YONHAP]
Kim described the past decade as a period when she and her colleagues focused almost entirely on patient care.
“The situation was even worse outside the capital region," she said. "Hospitals outside Seoul barely managed routine care and overnight shifts, so we simply did not have the capacity to participate in collaborative research between hospitals.”
For diseases like pediatric blood cancers, which affect only a small number of children across the country, research becomes harder when hospitals outside Korea struggle just to keep up with daily treatment.
Until now, physicians at hospitals outside Seoul often handled not only patient care but also administrative tasks related to clinical research. Clinical trials that involve several hospitals require detailed documentation and strict procedures.
![A pediatrician examines a child at a medical center in Gokseong County, South Jeolla, on Aug. 27, 2024. [YONHAP]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/02/26/ac5439f6-5d1a-4aff-b08c-e3f1eb966c6c.jpg)
A pediatrician examines a child at a medical center in Gokseong County, South Jeolla, on Aug. 27, 2024. [YONHAP]
“Explaining consent forms alone takes 30 minutes to an hour per patient,” said Lim Yeon-jung, a pediatrician at Chungnam National University Hospital. “Reporting, data entry and monitoring add a heavy workload, which effectively blocked clinical trial participation.”
The new initiative will place dedicated research personnel at participating hospitals.
The new staff will take care of paperwork for ethics approval, explain consent forms to patients and parents and handle data entry and reporting. This support will make it easier for patients outside Seoul to join international clinical trials and receive advanced genetic testing, with costs covered by the program. It will also allow hospitals to gather patient data from across the country in one system.
![A pediatrics sign hangs outside a medical center in Gokseong County, North Jeolla, on May 2, 2025. [NEWS1]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/02/26/4c00eaf3-4d5b-4a55-9c01-fec82f9e58e6.jpg)
A pediatrics sign hangs outside a medical center in Gokseong County, North Jeolla, on May 2, 2025. [NEWS1]
Physicians often rely on overseas research when developing treatment plans, but patient characteristics can differ. By consolidating domestic data, doctors hope to refine treatment guidelines and better understand why patients respond differently to the same therapies.
"This is a form of support we have never seen before. It gives me a reason to stay here,” Kim said. “To offer patients the most up-to-date treatment, research and clinical care should not force us to choose one over the other, but that has been difficult until now. I believe we will no longer have to give up either.”
Kang Hyoung-jin, a professor at Seoul National University Hospital and head of the support initiative, described the project as a complement to a pediatric cancer care system program that the Ministry of Health and Welfare launched in 2024 to expand treatment capacity.
Researchers also see the effort as an opportunity to build data tailored to Korean children.
“Patients across the country will be able to receive the same level of diagnosis and treatment regardless of where they live,” Kang said.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY RHEE ESTHER [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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