South Korea's Pharmaceutical Breakthroughs and Industrial Growth

A few years ago, as the global outbreak of COVID-19 took place, the role and importance of the pharmaceutical industry and vaccines were reemphasized. Supplying, creating, and testing vaccines were the No.1 interest of most countries, as vaccines were directly linked with citizens’ health and lives. The pharmaceutics industry has been and is continuously playing a crucial role in people’s lives as a rudimentary basis for each individual’s health. For example, the invention of penicillin, the first antibiotic, saved millions of lives and contributed to the rapid population growth in the 20th century, representing the significance of medical technology to humanity.

Photo by Pixabay.com

Accordingly, medical advancement is one of the essential factors that developed countries possess. South Korea, also a developed country, has greatly advanced medical technology and high-quality healthcare service systems. Although South Korea nowadays is highly ranked in its pharmaceutical industry, the country has been through some complex ups and downs with its medical technologies, especially since August of 1945.

Before 1945, in 1876, under the Japan-Korea Treaty of 1876, Chosun (a Korean dynastic kingdom) unwillingly opened the tradeway for Japan and the rest of the world. This marks the first time when western medical technology was introduced to Korea. Korea slowly adapted and developed its medical technology, as the first Korean modern drug (활명수) was invented in 1897 and new pharmaceutical companies showed up.

Photo by Kpbma.or.kr

Subsequently, after Korea got liberated from Japan in August of 1945, more modern and western pharmaceuticals were introduced under American influence. As a free nation, South Korea was able to process more organized and effective study and development on pharmaceutics. South Korea continued to expand its medical technology, making great progress throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. For example, a Korean antibiotic “팩티브" received approval from FDA for the first time in 2003, and Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety became the 7th to be listed in EU whitelist, proving the superiority of Korean medical technology.

Photo by Pixabay

South Korea nowadays is one of the countries with the most organized and distinguished medical technology. By incorporating AIs into the pharmaceutical field, South Korea is again ready to further develop the technology and make a better world. It’s always interesting to see the scientific development Korea has been through after the liberation from 1945, August 15th.

Works Cited

“한국제약바이오협회.” Kpbma.or.kr, 2017, www.kpbma.or.kr/industry/history. Accessed 6 Aug. 2024.

“[약업신문]제약산업 100년의 성쇠.” Yakup.com, 2024, m.yakup.com/news/?nid=2565&mode=view. Accessed 6 Aug. 2024.

Photo Citation

fernandozhiminaicela. “코로나 Covid-19 바이러스 - Pixabay의 무료 사진.” Pixabay.com, 11 Apr. 2020, pixabay.com/ko/photos/%EC%BD%94%EB%A1%9C%EB%82%98-covid-19-5028574/. Accessed 12 Aug. 2024.

OsloMetX. “병원 실내 약 - Pixabay의 무료 사진.” Pixabay.com, 19 Jan. 2018, pixabay.com/ko/photos/%EB%B3%91%EC%9B%90-%EC%8B%A4%EB%82%B4-%EC%95%BD-%EA%B8%B0%EC%88%A0-%EA%B3%BC%ED%95%99-3089884/. Accessed 12 Aug. 2024.

“한국제약바이오협회.” Kpbma.or.kr, 2017, www.kpbma.or.kr/industry/history. Accessed 12 Aug. 2024.