Local organizing committee
SangAeh Park
Director of KoCVAM and Toxicological Evaluation and Research Department
SangAeh Park has led the review of biological equivalence and drug quality at MFDS, building extensive practical experience. She is currently dedicated to advancing the regulatory acceptance of new approach methodologies (NAMs), including organoids and omics technologies.
Lee, Jeong Seok
Chairman Korea Biomedicine Industry Association (KoBIA)
A senior regulatory science leader with extensive experience in public administration, including his tenure as Director General of the Biologics and Herbal Medicines Bureau at the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. As President of the Korea Biomedicine Industry Association, he provides strategic leadership in strengthening regulatory science, vaccine safety governance, and international collaboration in biopharmaceutical regulation.
Rheeda LEE
Deputy Director of KoCVAM
Rheeda Lee is currently working at MFDS, where she plays a key role in fostering the development, validation, and dissemination of alternative test methods in Korea, in line with KoCVAM’s mission.
Joohwan Kim
Senior Scientific Officer
Joohwan Kim has been with the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) since 2002, contributing his expertise to the fields of general and genetic toxicology. He is currently at KoCVAM, where he leads the development and validation of alternative test methods, with a focus on their adoption as OECD Test Guidelines and ISO international standards for the biological safety evaluation of medical devices.
Jung Tae Park
Vice Chairman Korea Biomedicine Industry Association (KoBIA)
An industry and regulatory policy expert with prior executive experience at SK Chemicals. He serves as Principal Investigator of the MFDS-led national research program on the standardization of non-animal testing methods and as Chair of the K-Organoid Consortium, contributing to the development, validation, and regulatory adoption of NAMs.
Jeongmin Choi
Director Korea Biomedicine Industry Association (KoBIA)
Jeongmin Choi is Director at the Korea Biomedicine Industry Association. She oversees biopharmaceutical policy planning, regulatory collaboration, and industry–government coordination, with extensive experience in regulatory science initiatives and international cooperation in the biopharmaceutical sector.
Ran Noh
Team Leader Korea Biomedicine Industry Association (KoBIA)
Drawing on experience across public research institutes, government agencies, and industry, she serves at the Korea Biomedicine Industry Association. Her responsibilities include managing the national project on the standardization of non-animal testing methods, as well as supporting policy review, project coordination, and external cooperation related to NAMs.
Tae Sung Kim
Senior Scientific Officer
Tae Sung Kim is currently working at MFDS, where he leads efforts in the development and validation of organoid-based toxicity test methods for adoption in OECD Test Guidelines and ISO/TC 276. He is also involved in projects to develop toxicity prediction methods based on human-relevant, comprehensive omics data.
Youngjoo Lim
Deputy Director Toxicity and Risk Assessment Division, National Institute of Agricultural Science (NAS), Rural Deveolpment Administration (RDA)
Since 2005, I have been working at the Rural Development Administration (RDA) of the Republic of Korea. Until 2010, I served as a full-time inspector in the GLP toxicology field. Since 2011, I have been responsible for pesticide registration and regulatory review, and since 2024, I have been overseeing human toxicity safety assessment of pesticides as well as the development of standards and procedures for NAMs.
Seokjoo Yoon
President, Principal research scientist, Professor Korean Society for Alternative to Animal Experiments (KSAAE), Principal research scientist University of Science & Technology (UST) and Professor at the Korea Institute of Toxicology (KIT)
Dr. Seokjoo Yoon is a Principal Research Scientist at the Korea Institute of Toxicology (KIT) and the President of the Korean Society for Alternatives to Animal Experiments (KSAAE) for the 2025-2026 term. His leadership extends to his recent role as Vice President of KIT from 2021 to 2024.
Dr. Yoon's academic journey began with a Ph.D. in Toxicology from Hokkaido University, Japan. He further honed his expertise through post-doctoral training at the Division of Molecular Toxicology, Karolinska Institute, Sweden, and as a Research Professor at Hanyang University, Korea.
Since joining KIT in 2003, Dr. Yoon has been establishing the field of toxicogenomics within the institute. His international experience includes a stint as a visiting scientist at the National Center for Computational Toxicology, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Concurrently, he holds a professorship in Human and Environmental Toxicology at the Korea University of Science and Technology (UST).
Dr. Yoon's notable achievements include the successful development of "Toxstar," a hepatotoxicity prediction program, and more recently, "NanoTox Radar," a government-funded project for predicting nanomaterial toxicity. His expertise is recognized internationally, as evidenced by his active involvement in ISO TC229/WG3 (Nanotechnology) and OECD Working Party on Manufactured Nanomaterials (WPMN) activities.
Throughout his career, Dr. Yoon has made significant contributions to the advancement of alternative testing technologies in the Republic of Korea. His work has been pivotal in reducing reliance on animal experiments, showcasing his commitment to ethical and innovative approaches in toxicology research.
Kim, Hyun-Jung
Professor Chung-Ang University / The Korean Society of Toxicology (KSOT/KEMS)
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Jihoon Ko
Assistant Professor Gachon University / Korea Society for Stem cell Research (KSSCR)
Jihoon Ko is an Assistant Professor in the Department of BioNano Technology at Gachon University. His research focuses on microfluidic-based microphysiological systems (MPS), vascularized 3D cell culture models, and organoid-on-a-chip platforms. His work integrates high-throughput microfluidic systems with image-based quantitative analysis and AI-driven approaches to evaluate drug efficacy and toxicity under human-relevant physiological conditions. He actively collaborates with academic, clinical, and industrial partners to advance next-generation non-animal testing and precision medicine platforms.
Hyang-Ae Lee
Director, Associate Professor Center for Biomimetic Research, Korea Institute of Toxicology (KIT) / Human and Environment Toxicology, University of Science & Technology (UST)
Hyang-Ae Lee is a Principal Research Scientist at the Korea Institute of Toxicology (KIT) and an Associate Professor at the University of Science and Technology (UST), specializing in cardiac organoid-based NAMs and regulatory standardization in toxicology.
Hana Lee
Senior Researcher Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB)
Hana Lee, Ph.D., is a stem cell and organoid biologist at the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB). She works on human pluripotent stem cell–derived intestinal organoids for organoid-based regenerative therapeutics and develops organoid platforms for efficacy, toxicity, and safety assessment. She also contributes to international organoid standardization and quality assessment initiatives, including ISO/TC 276 activities.
Nam-Hee Kang
Scientific Officer
Nam-Hee Kang is involved in the development and validation of alternative test methods for adoption in OECD Test Guidelines and ISO international standards at KoCVAM. She also supports education on OECD Test Guidelines for the dissemination and promotion of these methods in Korea.
LEE, Sang Hee
Research Manager National Institute of Environmental Research, Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment
Since 2006, Sang Hee Lee has worked at the National Institute of Environmental Research (NIER), Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, where she has spent 20 years conducting R&D and promoting both international and domestic cooperation on regulatory chemical safety management. She currently leads the NAMs team, which focuses on the sustainable promotion of NAMs for regulatory purposes through international standardization and validation, improvement of hazard assessment using AI and NAM data, advancement of the OECD QSAR Application Toolbox, capacity building, and strengthening of domestic and international collaboration, as well as the establishment of NIER’s internal rules for chemical test methods.
Kim, Ji-Yeon
Veterinary Senior Researcher Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency (APQA)
Kim, Ji-Yeon D.V.M., Ph.D. holds a doctorate from the College of Veterinary Medicine and has been serving at the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency (APQA) for 23 years. With 11 years of extensive experience in the marketing authorization and registration of veterinary medicinal products, she currently serves as the Head of the Toxicity Assessment Laboratory in the Veterinary Drugs Evaluation Division. In this role, she oversees the toxicity and safety assessment of veterinary drugs and leads related research initiatives. Furthermore, she contributes significantly to strengthening academic capabilities by planning scientific research, developing innovative methodologies, and fostering collaboration among domestic and international researchers.
Minsoo Noh
Professor Seoul National University / The Korean Society of Toxicology (KSOT/KEMS)
Professor Minsoo Noh received his BS in Pharmacy (1993) and MS in Pharmacology (1995) from Seoul National University, and completed his PhD in Systems Pharmacology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2006. He began his professional career in industry as a Senior Scientist in the Drug Discovery Team at AmorePacific Co. (1995–2001), and subsequently served as a Principal Investigator at the Skin Research Institute of AmorePacific Co. (2006–2010). He transitioned to academia as an Assistant Professor in the College of Pharmacy at Ajou University (2010–2013), before joining the College of Pharmacy at Seoul National University in 2013. He was promoted to full Professor at Seoul National University in 2020.
Jihoon Kim
Assistant Professor Department of Medical and Biolofical Science, The Catholic University of Korea
Dr. Jihoon Kim is an Assistant Professor at the Catholic University of Korea, specializing in adult stem cell biology, organoids, and Wnt signaling. He obtained his PhD degree from the Hubrecht Institute in the Netherlands and subsequently conducted postdoctoral research at the Cambridge Stem Cell Institute (UK) and the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology (IMBA) in Austria. His research focuses on Wnt pathway regulation, E3 ubiquitin ligases, and CRISPR-based genetic screening using organoid systems.
Hyun Mi Kang
Principle Researcher Stem Cell Convergence Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB)
Hyun Mi Kang is a Principal Research Scientist at the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), a government-funded research institute of the Republic of Korea. She holds a Ph.D. in Embryology and B.S. and M.S. degrees in Biotechnology. At KRIBB, her research focuses on the development of kidney and skin organoid models applicable to alternative methods to animal experimentation. Her work aims to establish highly human-relevant cell and organoid models that can effectively replace or complement conventional animal-based tissue models for biomedical research and safety evaluation.
Wonjung Park
Ethics Director LUSH Korea
An Ethics Director who embeds brand ethics—the backbone of the business—across the organisation, and adds brand value to products and experiences to support customers’ ethical choices. Representing the voices of employees who have diligently upheld what Lush believes is right, the role supports efforts to “make the world more Lush-like” through campaigns for animal protection, environmental preservation, and human rights. In particular, there is a strong focus on the Fighting Animal Testing campaign, which advocates for a global ban on animal testing for cosmetics and the advancement of alternative testing methods.
Woojin Song
Senior Program Director Humane World for Animals
Woojin Song holds a Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences (Brain-Peripheral organ communication) from Seoul National University College of Medicine, an M.A. in Biological Chemistry (Endocrinology and Metabolism) from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and a B.S. in Biology (Limnology) from Towson University. He has earned certificates in Health Care Management from Johns Hopkins Carey Business School and human induced Pluripotent Stem Cell research from Miltenyi Biotec.
His extensive research career includes positions at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Seoul National University Hospital, with over 18 peer-reviewed publications in Cell Metabolism, Diabetes, and Brain Research, plus a US patent on diabetes treatments.
Currently, he serves as Senior Program Director in Research and Regulatory Science at Humane World for Animals and specializes in regulatory science, biomedical research, toxicology, NAMs, and animal welfare policy.
Dohwi Kwak
Director MICE1 Team, Seoul Tourism Organization (STO)
Dohwi Kwak, a Marketing graduate from Hofstra University, has spent 16 years at the Seoul Tourism Organization and currently leads MICE Team 1, overseeing the overall development and support for international conferences, exhibitions, and global events in Seoul.
Seungwhan Kim
Manager MICE1 Team, Seoul Tourism Organization (STO)
Seungwhan Kim, a Journalism and Communication graduate from Kyung Hee University, has served at the Seoul Tourism Organization since 2019 and currently works in MICE Team 1, managing support programs for international conferences to promote Seoul as a premier MICE hub.