As South Korea's doctors continue their long-running protest against a government plan to raise the medical student quota at universities, the walk-outs may be beginning to take a toll on the pharma industry, with many large firms reporting weak earnings in the last quarter.

Notable new drug approvals in South Korea last year included Pfizer’s Tukysa, Genentech’s Columvi and BeiGene’s Tevimbra, but the tally did not include any domestically-originated products. Alzheimer’s disease therapy lecanemab may be on the horizon this year.

The South Korean biotech space has been marked by multiple positive R&D developments and pipeline and partnering progress in recent months, more than outweighing some other setbacks for the rapidly developing sector. 

With Leclaza as a foothold, the next couple of years will be crucial for Yuhan’s ambition to become a top 50 global pharma firm. R&D president Yeul Hong Kim shares how he intends to shape the leading Korean company's efforts to compete with its global rivals.