The Department of Endocrinology was started when Dr. Chang Sun Go, who took office at the Research Institute of Radiological & Medical Sciences in January 1964, was appointed as the first director of the Department of Radioisotope to handle the treatment of thyroid cancer patients. Then, on April 1, 1994 when Dr. Ga Hui Lee took office, the Department of Endocrinology started providing healthcare service.
The following year in 2003 when Dr. Yun Yong Lee was appointed as the new director, the department strengthened healthcare service for diabetes by starting hospital education for diabetics.
On November 26, 2006, a one-stop healthcare system was established to promote the convenience of patients with thyroid nodules. It considerably reduced patients’ waiting time and served as a momentum for further increasing visits by patients with thyroid nodules in the northeastern part of Seoul.
Based on clinical experiences and expertise built over 60 years, the department opened the Thyroid Cancer Center in 2011 and established an interdisciplinary treatment system based on organic cooperation with the Department Otolaryngology and Department of Radiology. As Korea’s leading medical center specializing in thyroid cancer, the Thyroid Cancer Center enhanced the status of the Korea Cancer Center Hospital, which in turn led to a steady increase in the number of patients using the healthcare service provided by the center and also contributed to increasing the cure and survival rates of thyroid cancer patients.
As of 2022, the Department of Endocrinology is led by Hong Il Kim and Yun Hyi Ku. The department makes utmost effort to provide high-quality treatment service for endocrine diseases including diabetes and thyroid diseases while carrying out advanced educational and research activities.