The National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) held a ceremony to officially open its new headquarters building in the innovative city of Wonju, Gangwon-do, on March 9, ushering in an “Era of Wonju” in which NHIS has pledged to ramp up health insurance coverage.
Among some 600 people on hand at the event at the grand auditorium of the new NHIS headquarters were NHIS President Seong Sang-cheol; Minister Chung Jin-yup of the Ministry of Health and Welfare; Chairman Kim Chun-jin of the National Assembly Health and Welfare Committee; Rep. Kim Ki-sun; Rep. Lee Kang-hoo; Rep. Park Yoon-ok; Gangwon-do Vice Gov. Maeng Sung-kyu; and Wonju Mayor Won Chang-mook.
In his opening speech, NHIS President Seong said, “We’ll open a world of sustainable health insurance people enjoy in conjunction with the opening of an Era of Wonju.” He expressed the hope that the NHIS will demonstrate once again its reserved strength health insurance, which made its debut in 1977, has been recognized as a global good practice in 39 years.
Seong said the NHIS will devote itself to proactively and preemptively intervening in such future crises as low birth and aging through organizational innovation in conjunction with the opening of “an Era of Wonju,” while collaborating with local medicinal, medical equipment, and bio companies as well as research institutions, thus contributing to developing the local economy.
MOHW Minister Chung said, “I extend thanks for NHIS staff members and officers’ leading roles in making a feat of expanding health insurance coverage to all people within 12 years, the shortest period of time in the world, and contributing to enhancing the quality of public life.”
Also participating in the event were CEOs of public entities, which have moved or will soon move to Wonju, including President Soh Myong-sei of the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service (HIRA), and President Kim Young-min of Korea Resources Corp.
Ten public organizations, including Korea Tourism Organization, have relocated to the innovative city of Wonju. Two others Korea National Park and Korea Research Institute for Local Administration are to move there by 2018. The innovative city is being built on a site of 3.5 million sq. meters at a cost of 884.3 billion won. It will grow to a city of 31,000 people when the relocation of 12 public entities with a combined 5,853 employees is completed by 2018.
_건보 원주사옥.jpg)
A view of NHIS’s new headquarters in Wonju. (Photos:NHIS)
_건보 개청식 02.jpg)
