[1.4.4.] Policy addressing poverty

Participate in policy making at local, regional, national and/or global level to implement programmes and policies to end poverty in all its dimensions

1. The PNU Startup Support Center signed a partnership agreement with Busan Seo-gu District in 2024, to advance the “Busan Seo-gu Youth Vitality Project.” The initiative aims to revitalize youth entrepreneurship and strengthen local residency stability in a district facing population decline. PNU supports sustainable entrepreneurship education, identifies prospective entrepreneurs, and contributes to policy implementation addressing youth economic independence and poverty.

2. PNU advances access to basic services for marginalized groups and poverty alleviation through policy research. In 2024 it produced a “Standardization Plan for Visiting Medical Service Projects,” proposing a standard business model and evaluation indicators to deliver continuous, stable medical services to economically excluded groups. PNU’s study on “Establishment of a Comprehensive Plan for Fostering Age-Friendly Industries in Busan City” identified limitations in housing renovation services for low-income households and analyzed best practices to support elderly economic independence.

3. Professor Lee Whan-hee analyzed association between the Korea National Health Insurance and national meteorological data, finding that during heatwaves persons with disabilities face over four times the hospitalization risk of non-disabled individuals, increasing medical costs. The research shows hospitalization risks and costs rise substantially for low-income persons with disabilities, underscoring how environmental hazards deepen poverty among vulnerable groups. Funded by the Ministry of Environment, the paper recommends that national climate crisis responses explicitly consider economically and socially vulnerable populations.

4. In August 2024 Yangsan Pusan National University Hospital hosted medical staff from the Uzbekistan National Children’s Hospital under Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA)’ s Global Training Program for hospital management and medical-system training. As a KOICA partner, PNU supports capacity building in developing countries and participates in global efforts to alleviate poverty and promote sustainable development.