What do people work for throughout their lives? It could be to escape poverty, to protect their families, or to achieve their dreams. In youth, the urgency of making a living is paramount, while in middle age, building a business and growing an organization takes precedence. However, as one reaches the later stages of life, another question arises: how to use what has been achieved and what to leave behind.
Park Hyang-jin, director of Howon Hospital in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province, is answering that question in his own way. He recently established a gallery in the newly constructed Howon Hospital, transforming a significant space that could have been used for treatment rooms and patient wards into a cultural facility.
On October 14, a report by Koo Ja-hyung from TV Chosun highlighted the intersection of common sense in hospital management and human consideration. Hospitals are places for treating patients, and hospital managers must consider the quality of care, profitability, and sustainable operations. In that context, the decision to reduce treatment space to create a gallery is not one to be taken lightly. Park Hyang-jin has opened that space to the public.
In an interview with TV Chosun, he acknowledged that hospitals can be intimidating and unwelcoming places that people want to leave quickly. He expressed hope that visitors to the gallery would find comfort and healing.
This statement reveals the humanity of Park Hyang-jin. While a hospital operator cannot ignore financial considerations, it is equally important for a manager to remember for whom the hospital ultimately exists.
Park Hyang-jin hails from Jindo, Jeollanam-do. In his youth, he traveled to Saudi Arabia to escape poverty and worked in the hot construction sites of the Middle East. He has recalled that even finding a cool shade under a tree felt like a luxury at that time.
His words reflect the experiences of many Koreans from a bygone era. Countless individuals have toiled in foreign lands to contribute to the modern Republic of Korea, working in German mines and hospitals, Middle Eastern construction sites, and domestic factories and markets to support their families. Park Hyang-jin is one of them.
He spent his youth in this manner and eventually reached a position managing a medical institution in Uijeongbu. The journey was undoubtedly fraught with challenges. However, what matters is the choice he made after achieving economic success.
On September 21, 2026, the newly constructed Howon Hospital unveiled a special space called 'Gallery Yunyung.' According to the TV Chosun report, this gallery features over 20 pieces, including works collected by Park Hyang-jin and donated pieces from his late friend, Kim Min-bae, former CEO of TV Chosun.
Among the exhibits is a calligraphy piece titled 'Hyesa,' written by Kim Gu in 1948 to commemorate Independence Day. TV Chosun described it as representing 'the beautiful history created by the common people.' A media art piece based on the masterpiece 'Inwangjesaekdo' by Jeong Seon is also on display.
The presence of Kim Gu's calligraphy in the hospital prompts reflection. Kim Gu was a key figure in Korea's independence movement and modern history. His writings, particularly in 'Baekbeom Ilji,' express a deep belief in the power of culture.
"What I desire most is the power of high culture."
Kim Gu envisioned a Korea that would not only be prosperous but also bring happiness through culture and contribute to other nations. The culture he spoke of was not merely about owning or appreciating art but about enriching human life.
In this light, the display of Kim Gu's calligraphy in the hospital gallery is significant. The words of a historical figure are placed in a medical space, where patients, caregivers, and citizens can pause and reflect. Culture becomes something accessible to everyone, not just a privilege for the elite.
Gallery Yunyung also tells another story: that of Kim Min-bae, a long-time friend of Park Hyang-jin.
The two grew up together in Jindo and shared a friendship spanning 60 years. Kim Min-bae pursued a career in journalism, serving as a reporter and executive at Chosun Ilbo before becoming CEO of TV Chosun. Under his leadership, TV Chosun played a pivotal role in the trot music craze through the show 'Miss Trot,' with the first winner, Song Ga-in, also hailing from Jindo, adding an interesting connection among the three.
However, when discussing their friendship, there is no need to elaborate on their impressive careers or successes. They had promised to walk the Olle trails together and seek out the best kimchi stew restaurants as they grew older. They wanted to share leisurely meals and strolls after busy lives.
That promise was left unfulfilled when Kim Min-bae passed away from cancer. Park Hyang-jin wanted to gather his friend's paintings in one place, and the construction of the new hospital provided the opportunity to create the gallery.
What is important here is not just the years of friendship but how that friendship is honored. There are many ways to remember a friend: keeping photos or writing memorials. Park Hyang-jin chose to transform his friend's beloved paintings into a shared cultural asset for the community.
Of course, this endeavor should not be overly romanticized. Establishing a gallery in a hospital is a business decision, and its value will be assessed based on how faithfully it is operated in the future. However, the fact that a space that could have been used for treatment is now a cultural facility, rooted in the desire to remember a long-time friend, is noteworthy.
Park Hyang-jin's vision extends beyond merely displaying artworks. According to the TV Chosun report, the hospital plans to offer the gallery space for free to emerging artists or use it as a small concert venue.
This plan has garnered significant interest. If the gallery were to limit itself to showcasing personal collections, it could remain a space reflecting individual tastes. However, if it provides opportunities for emerging artists and serves as a venue for citizens to engage with music and art, its significance changes.
Young artists need a platform to present their work. Citizens require opportunities to experience culture close to home. Patients and caregivers visiting the hospital need a moment to relax and unwind. If Gallery Yunyung can meet these three needs, it could become a meaningful cultural space in the community.
This also prompts reflection on the social role of medical institutions. The essence of healthcare lies in caring for life and health. Accurate diagnoses, safe treatments, the professionalism of medical staff, and responsibility toward patients are paramount. Cultural facilities cannot replace these fundamentals.
However, a good medical institution should also pay attention to the emotional well-being of those experiencing illness. Patients undergo tests and treatments while grappling with anxiety, fear, and waiting. Their families share similar experiences. Having a space where they can appreciate art and listen to music makes the hospital a more humane environment.
Park Hyang-jin reflects on the shade of the tree he once longed for in Saudi Arabia. What felt like a luxury back then has now transformed into a space where others can find respite in the hospital he manages.
Whether this was a deliberate life design is uncertain. However, connecting the choices made in youth with those made today reveals an intriguing contrast. A person who once could not rest now provides a place for others to find solace.
How should a manager's achievements be evaluated? Revenue, profit, assets, and growth rates are important metrics. Economic performance is necessary for a business to sustain itself. However, these factors alone cannot fully explain a manager's life.
Some are remembered for the scale of their business, others for pioneering new industries, and still others for how they share their accomplishments with society.
Park Hyang-jin's creation of the gallery may not be a grand social contribution, but it holds clear significance in utilizing an important space in his hospital as a cultural facility for patients and citizens.
The Eastern classic 'Tao Te Ching' states, 'The highest good is like water.' Water benefits all things without competing. This reminds us that doing good for others does not have to be a loud declaration or a grand project.
Park Hyang-jin's choice stands on its own. He has preserved his friend's paintings, created a space for citizens to engage with culture, and plans to open that door to young artists in the future. Rather than adding excessive praise, it is more appropriate to hope that this promise will be fulfilled in practice.
Above all, the new beginning of Howon Hospital's annex appears to be a turning point in Park Hyang-jin's life. After working to make a living in his youth and striving to grow his business, he is now broadening the horizons of his life by sharing his achievements with others.
We see this as another possibility of what the later stages of life can hold. Growing older does not simply mean reducing work and stepping back from active roles. It can also be a time to transform the experiences, assets, and relationships accumulated over the years into new values.
This aligns with my thoughts on the relationship between 'food, work, and dreams.' Food is fundamental to life, work is how humans participate in the world, and dreams are the force that propels that life forward. If someone who once worked for food creates a space for others' dreams in the later stages of life, it reflects the maturation of a human life.
We hope that Howon Hospital will develop into a trusted medical institution for patients and that Gallery Yunyung will establish itself as a cultural space for citizens and artists. When excellent medical services and diligent cultural space management coexist, Park Hyang-jin's choice will gain even greater significance.
With Kim Gu's calligraphy, the paintings of the late Kim Min-bae, and a space where emerging artists' works can be displayed, this place can preserve memories of the past while opening possibilities for the future.
The friend who passed away left behind paintings, and the friend who remains has created a space to protect those paintings. However, the true owners of that space are not just the individuals who left behind the artwork or created the gallery. The patients, caregivers, and citizens who visit to appreciate the works and find a moment of rest are also the owners of that space.
Park Hyang-jin is still writing his life story. From his beginnings in Jindo to working in the construction sites of the Middle East and building a hospital in Uijeongbu, his life is now entering a new chapter of healthcare and culture.
Where healthcare for humanity, culture that enriches life, and a place to find respite in nature converge, there lies a good hospital and a sound management philosophy.
The story of Gallery Yunyung at Howon Hospital leaves us with more than just the friendship of two individuals. It raises questions about how one shares the achievements of a lifetime with others.
And Park Hyang-jin is answering that question not with words, but with space.
He has transformed a floor of the hospital into an art gallery.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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