KoreaToday Boehringer Ingelheim Boosts Medical Research Here
Pharmaceutical Giant Initiates Unique Corporate Responsibility Program
By Kim Tae-gyu
Staff Reporter
As the significance of corporate social responsibility programs is becoming widely recognized, companies across the world are carrying out more activities unique to their own businesses.
Here is one outstanding example ― Boehringer Ingelheim Korea, one of the country's major pharmaceutical firms, has boosted medical research by providing a much-touted prize called the Wunsch Medical Award every year.
Thanks to its fairness and objectiveness in picking the winner, the Wunsch Award has become arguably the most coveted medical prize here in merely two decades since its debut in 1990.
Some call the prize the Korean equivalent of the Nobel Prize in medicine since it has exerted such a positive influence on the Korean medical community according to its laureates.
``There are many medical awards out there in Korea whose prizes are much bigger than the 30 million won for the Wunsch Award. But the latter is unparalleled in fairness and thoroughness. This explains why it has gained such a high value so quickly,'' said 2008 winner Kim Myung-hwan, a professor at the University of Ulsan College Medicine.
Kim has authored upside of 200 papers over the past decade. Experts point out that his work has played an instrumental role in improving overall clinical medicine, particularly in pancreatic diseases.
Professor Kwon Jun-soo at Seoul National University, who topped the podium last year, also claims that the honor represents more than simply an academic event.
``On top of its fairness, the Wunsch Medical Award has very comprehensive criteria. You cannot get it with just a handful of good papers. Winners must go through even a reputation check,'' Kwon said.
``After obtaining the award, I now feel a big responsibility both academically and socially ― it has motivated me to study harder as well as prompting me to pay attention to my social activities since I learned reputation also counted to earning the award.''
As a renowned psychiatrist, the 50-year-old has published approximately 300 papers in peer-reviewed journals such as the American Journal of Psychiatry and the Archives of General Psychiatry.
He is also leading studies here on brain imaging and neurophysiology in the field of cognitive science.
Boehringer Ingelheim Way
The Wunsch Medical Award was established in 1990 by Boehringer Ingelheim Korea together with the Korea Academy of Medical Sciences.
It was named after Richard Wunsch, the German who served as a personal doctor to King Gojong from 1901 to 1905. He was one of the early pioneers, who introduced Western medical technology to Korea.
An independent panel comprising medical experts in various fields convenes every year to pick the recipient of the award based on such criteria as the number, quality and influence of papers of potential winners.
The screening process is led by the Korea Academy of Medical Sciences. Its President Kim Seong-deok also thinks that the Wunsch Award has substantially improved the country's medical research.
Young medical scientist prizes have been added to the annual award to encourage young doctors' medical research since 2000.
``Based on efforts of the operating committee for a more objective and fair screening, the Wunsch Award has become a medical prize representative of Korea,'' Kim said.
Behind the Wunsch Award lies the philosophy of Boehringer Ingelheim Korea, which hopes to contribute to society in areas associated with its main businesses ― medicine.
``It has always been one of the top priorities of Boehringer Ingelheim to act as a responsible corporate citizen wherever the firm is doing business,'' Boehringer Ingelheim Korea spokesperson Kim Sung-jin said.
``Under that mantra, we tried to play an important role in areas we are aware of. Hence, we came up with the Wunsch Award and we are happy that it helps improve Korea's medical research.''
`Funation' & Korea-Loving CEO
In addition to the coveted award, Boehringer Ingelheim Korea has conducted a string of social responsibility programs aimed at preserving the nation's traditional culture, or helping the underprivileged.
Since 2007, the company has sponsored the Seoul Traditional Artist Award to inherit and preserve traditional arts here. The firm has supported intangible cultural assets in a variety of segments.
Many of its employees have also participated in social activities helping the needy such as sponsoring childcare centers. Under the stewardship of its head Reinke, they hold a year-end bazaar annually and use the profits as a fund to assist local communities.
Boehringer Ingelheim Korea workers call such activities ``funation,'' a combination of ``fun'' and ``donation.''
``We do not deem our activities as an obligation. Instead, we regard such programs as fun because our small efforts can be a really big help to other people,'' company spokesperson Kim aid.
Behind such brisk corporate social responsibility programs is the firm's chief executive officer Guenter Reinke, who has shown his strong affection for Korea by staying in Seoul since 1997.
He even gained honorary citizenship of Seoul late last year with the Korean name of Rha In-gang, meaning the ``Rhein'' in Korean. Reinke took charge of Boehringer Ingelheim Korea in early 2006.
``As a multinational pharmaceutical firm, we have always thought of how to contribute to Korean society ever since we advanced into the nation some 40 years ago,'' Reinke said.
``We will put forth efforts to act as a responsible corporate citizen by being proactive in such areas as medical improvements, conservation of traditional culture and support of local communities.''
Founded in 1885, the Boehringer Ingelheim group has grown to be one of the world's top 20 pharmaceutical entities. Based in Ingelheim of Germany, it currently operates a total of 138 affiliates in 47 countries.
The group tapped into the Korean market back in 1976 to establish the subsidiary of Boehringer Ingelheim Korea, which has supplied innovative products in medicine or health care.
It chalked up about 143 billion won in sales last year and has outgrown the market over the past decade with 15 percent of compound annual growth on average. The Seoul-based outfit has such flagship products as Dulcolax or Micardis.