Professor Noh Dong-young of Seoul National University, fourth from left, poses with his wife, center, after winning the Wunsch Medical Award at the Grand Hyatt Seoul, Tuesday. At right is Boehringer Ingelheim Korea CEO Guenter Reinke and at left is Korea Academy of Medical Sciences Chairman Kim Seong-deok. / Courtesy of Boehringer Ingelheim Korea

By Kim Tae-gyu

Professor Noh Dong-young of Seoul National University was honored with the Wunsch Medical Award, one of the most prestigious honors in the Korean medical segment.

Introduced 21 years ago by Boehringer Ingelheim Korea, the annual award is named after Richard Wunsch, the first German physician to practice here more than a century ago.

Dr. Noh was presented with the award and the prize of 50 million won at a ceremony held at the Grand Hyatt Seoul, Tuesday. The 55-year-old has researched breast cancer throughout his career.

``It is a great honor to become the first physician to win the Wunsch award. I will put forth more efforts to further develop my study and research,’’ Noh said in a telephone interview with The Korea Times.

Richard Wunsch worked as a personal doctor to King Gojong, the second last emperor of the Joseon Dynasty, from 1901 to 1905. The Wunsch Medical Award was initiated in 1990 by Boehringer Ingelheim Korea along with the Korea Academy of Medical Sciences (KAMS).

Each year a peer-review panel comprising of medical experts considers a series of criteria including the candidates’ papers like their number, quality and influence to select the recipient.

On the onset of the new millennium, Boehringer Ingelheim Korea also phased in the Young Scientist recognition. This year’s awardees are professor Sung Chang-ohk of Sungkyunkwan University and professor Cho Byoung-chul of Yonsei University.

On the sidelines of the ceremony, the KAMS offered an appreciation plaque to Guenter Reinke, CEO of Boehringer Ingelheim Korea for playing a pivotal role in promoting the Wunsch Medical Award.

Reinke first arrived in 1997 and gained honorary citizenship of Seoul two years ago.

Boehringer Ingelheim is a leading global pharmaceutical company that entered Korea in 1976 to become a top-tier player in the local medical industry.