Hangil Eye Hospital is celebrating its 40th anniversary of social contribution and has been recognized by Newsweek as a leading private hospital in Asia.

Hangil Eye Hospital is celebrating its 40th anniversary of social contribution and has been recognized by Newsweek as a leading private hospital in Asia. 

Sabina Istleyeva, a thirteen-year-old from Atyrau, a port city in Kazakhstan, was born with strabismus, a condition where the eyes do not properly align with each other. Due to financial difficulties following her parents' divorce, she and her mother could not afford the necessary surgery. Even after enrolling in a specialized school, she remained self-conscious about her appearance. Upon learning about her situation, a charitable organization informed Hangil Eye Hospital in Bupyeong-gu, Incheon. The hospital invited Sabina to Korea in September of the previous year for surgery to correct her strabismus. During her recovery, her eyes gradually returned to normal, and a week later, she returned to Kazakhstan with a bright smile. Sabina expressed her gratitude to the Korean medical team for providing the surgery free of charge, allowing her to fully enjoy activities like dancing and crafting accessories. "I aspire to study diligently to become a teacher," she said.

Hangil Eye Hospital, established in 1985 in Bupyeong-gu, Incheon, marked its 40th anniversary on the 25th. The hospital began as a small clinic with just one doctor but has since grown into a facility with 46 healthcare professionals, including 37 ophthalmology specialists, all dedicated to high-quality patient care. The hospital now sees over 1,000 outpatients daily, with approximately 250,000 patients visiting last year alone.

The hospital has consistently engaged in social contribution initiatives both domestically and internationally. Since 2007, it has worked with the Korea GM Foundation to provide financial assistance for medical procedures to those in need. Since 2015, in partnership with the SSG Landers, a professional baseball team in Incheon, the hospital has conducted the "Happy EYE Campaign," subsidizing medical costs for around 70 low-income individuals. The hospital's medical staff regularly visit island communities, such as Gyodong-do in Ganghwa-gun and Deokjeok-do in Ongjin-gun, to offer ophthalmology and internal medicine services.

Since 2002, the hospital has sent medical volunteer teams to Uzbekistan eight times over two years, providing free medical care and surgeries. The following year, the "Hangil Uzbekistan Eye Hospital" was established in Tashkent as a charitable institution. Over 40,000 patients have been treated there, and more than 6,000 cataract surgeries have been performed, demonstrating the hospital's commitment to humanitarian efforts in the region.

The hospital is renowned as a reliable choice for international patients seeking medical treatment. In 2019, Incheon Metropolitan City designated it as a "Leading Medical Institution for Attracting Foreign Patients" due to a significant patient base from Russia, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan. That same year, it was honored as the "International Eye Hospital of the Year" at the Medical Travel Awards, a global medical tourism event held in Europe.

The government recognizes the hospital's advanced medical infrastructure. It is the only hospital in the nation to have received all three certifications overseen by the Ministry of Health and Welfare: hospital-level medical institution, specialized ophthalmology hospital, and medical institution for accommodating foreign patients. In January, coinciding with its 40th anniversary, the hospital received uplifting news. It was named one of the top 30 Best Private Hospitals specializing in Ophthalmology in Asia for 2025 by Newsweek, an American news magazine, and Statista, a global market research firm based in Germany.

Jeong Gyu-hyung, Chairman of Hangil Eye Hospital, emphasized the hospital's dedication to becoming a medical institution where doctors who prioritize patient care with humility can practice humanitarian medicine.