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Since your appointment as CEO of APAC and EMEA in May 2025, you have championed an integrated strategy across both regions. Given the significant divergence between APAC and EMEA—ranging from economic structures and regulatory environments to real estate market maturity and client needs—I’d like to delve into your approach to this integration. Now that the unified operating model has been in place for approximately one year, what were the most critical factors you considered when developing an integration strategy applicable to both regions? How are you balancing respect for each region’s unique characteristics while executing a cohesive global vision? Finally, could you share whether you have seen tangible results and quantifiable synergies in key areas such as enhanced global connectivity for clients, improved access to talent, and increased cross-selling and…

Establishing a Global Disease Management Framework to Tackle Obesity and Chronic Diseases as a Global Challenge Obesity is widely recognized as a primary driver of various chronic conditions, including diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. Critically, its prevalence is disproportionately higher among socioeconomically vulnerable groups, making it an urgent priority for public health intervention. Over the last decade, Korea’s obesity rates have climbed steadily, bringing a heavy socioeconomic burden. The costs associated with obesity exceeded KRW 33 trillion in 2020 and are projected to triple to approximately KRW 98 trillion by 2035. These staggering figures suggest that obesity is no longer a personal struggle but a hallmark of health inequity that demands systemic institutional support and robust public health policies. The treatment journey—from initial diagnosis to rehabilitation and lifelong management—is both…

Hello, Director General. Could you please greet our readers? Hello! I am Dr. Jerome Kim, the Director General of the International Vaccine Institute, and I am excited to be interviewed by alchedek magazine. Could you introduce the International Vaccine Institute (IVI) and its main projects? IVI is Korea’s first international organization (founded in 1997) with a mission to discover, develop, and deliver safe, effective, and affordable vaccines – empowering vaccine equity, impact, and sustainability so that people everywhere can lead healthy and productive lives free from vaccine-preventable infectious diseases. We would like to hear about IVI’s major achievements so far, such as the development and distribution of its own vaccines. IVI’s first vaccine is the oral cholera vaccine (OCV). It was first approved by WHO in 2011. OCV technology has…

Thank you for joining us. To start, could you share with us your primary research focus and the journey that has defined your career? Since joining Hanmi Pharmaceutical in 1998, I have spent nearly three decades immersed in the entire drug development lifecycle, gaining hands-on experience from initial discovery to clinical development. Throughout this journey, I have remained dedicated to developing innovative therapeutics grounded in scientific evidence and addressing unmet clinical needs. As a researcher, I have always held onto my founding principle: ‘to create medicines that deliver genuine value to patients’. This mission has driven me to explore novel mechanisms of action and emerging modalities. I have come to realize that drug development is not simply a collection of technologies, but a multidisciplinary science that thrives on the integration…

Good morning, Director Choi. It is a pleasure to meet you. To start our conversation, could you please introduce the IBS Korea Virus Research Institute and the mission it carries? Hello, it is a pleasure to be here. The IBS Korea Virus Research Institute was established on July 1, 2021, at a critical juncture during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our mission is to prepare for the continuous emergence of new and variant viruses by conducting long-term research into fundamental virology and the immunological characteristics of viral infections. At its inception, the Institute was launched with two centers: the Center for Emerging and Re-emerging Virus Research and the Center for Virus Immunology. However, in December 2025, we completed our three-center system with the addition of the Virome and Applied Platform Research Center,…

2025 Second-half Korean exports maintained solid growth despite global economic uncertainties, with November exports reaching a record high of $61 billion, an 8.4% increase year-over-year. The export strength, driven by advanced technology products such as semiconductors and biohealth, along with diversification of regional markets, demonstrated South Korea’s resilience amid the reorganization of global supply chains and the spread of protectionism. This also reaffirmed the competitiveness of Korean brands. With alchedek’s ‘Go Global’ special feature, we aim to showcase the current status of the nation’s export expansion and the pioneering companies breaking into emerging markets. Moreover, our core mission is to discover and report on the excellence of experts who are spearheading various high-value-added Korean industries, both domestically and internationally, by providing high-quality information about them. We will profile innovative companies…