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International St Mary’s Hospital sits just minutes from Incheon International Airport, but President and CEO Dong-Hyun Go sees its reach extending far beyond South Korea. A Catholic priest and healthcare executive, Go is leading an institution with ambitions that span digital healthcare, medical education and humanitarian outreach – all underpinned by a belief that medicine should know no borders.
“Our hospital’s name shows who we are,” he tells The CEO Magazine. “We were born to be international.”
This mindset has shaped International St Mary’s Hospital and Catholic Kwandong University Medical Center into one of Korea’s most outward-looking healthcare institutions, serving patients from around the world while building partnerships across Asia and Central Asia.
Yet for Go, global growth starts with something much closer to home. For all of the organization’s international ambitions, Go believes hospitals must never lose sight of the communities they serve.
“The hospital should be within the community first,” he says. “Sometimes we need to focus on the financial goals and the development of brick-and-mortar hospitals, but first we must get involved in the community where we are located.”
Based in Incheon, one of South Korea’s largest cities, International St Mary’s Hospital also supports underserved regions, including Ganghwa Island and Yeongjong Island. As the nearest university hospital to these areas, it is expanding services to ensure residents have access to advanced care.
Children’s health is another priority. The hospital has invested heavily in pediatric services, including neonatal intensive care and specialist surgery, while partnering with local educational authorities on health initiatives aimed at younger generations.
At the heart of Go’s vision is a ‘lifetime care’ philosophy – one that extends beyond traditional healthcare to support wellbeing at every stage of life.
Through its Medical Theme Park concept, launched in 2014, the hospital sought to combine preventive care, community engagement and lifestyle-focused wellness initiatives, creating an environment where people could proactively manage their health rather than simply seek treatment when ill.
“We wanted to create a place where people could enjoy their lives while taking a proactive approach to their health,” Go says. “Not only for patients, but for healthy people as well.”
Although external challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic and disruptions to South Korea’s medical system, have placed the concept on hold, Go remains optimistic that the holistic vision will one day return.
“This philosophy is really important,” he stresses. “I hope one day we can resurrect the medical theme park globally.”
While his vision is deeply human-centered, Go is equally committed to harnessing innovation to improve patient outcomes at International St Mary’s Hospital.
But he’s adamant that technology must support clinicians rather than replace them.
“Our AI journey is not about cutting costs,” he insists. “It’s about utilizing AI to support clinical judgment and enhance patient safety.”
The hospital has embraced digital pathology, converting traditional slides into high-resolution images to improve accuracy and facilitate international collaboration. AI-powered solutions from partners, including Waycen and Meninblox, are helping clinicians monitor respiratory conditions, support endoscopy procedures and overcome language barriers.
One standout initiative Go highlights is Medicavox, an AI-based translation platform developed with Meninblox.
Already being piloted in Indonesia through a Korean government-funded program, the technology aims to make healthcare more accessible across languages and cultures.
The hospital is also working with Philips Korea to map its long-term AI strategy. Recent co-creation workshops have helped establish priorities and create a blueprint for future digital transformation.
“Understanding patient safety and medical ethics is critical as we pursue AI initiatives,” Go says. “Those principles remain at the core of everything we do.”
Go’s vision for international healthcare began when an early attempt to establish a physical hospital overseas proved unsuccessful, prompting a rethink.
“We’ve made some mistakes,” he admits. “But we’ve also learned from those mistakes.”
Today, his approach is much more relationship-driven. Go regularly travels to meet ministers, governors and healthcare leaders across countries, including Mongolia, Indonesia and Kazakhstan, searching for ways to address local healthcare challenges.
Taking what he’s learned, three pillars now underpin the hospital’s global strategy. The first is education through the Boniface International Medical Fellowship Program, which brings overseas doctors and healthcare professionals to South Korea for training before sending them home to strengthen their own systems.
“Those doctors and nurses then become our ambassadors, which helps our mission,” he explains.
The second pillar is telemedicine. After visiting Kazakhstan and witnessing the challenges faced by communities spread across vast distances, Go saw technology as a practical solution. International St Mary’s Hospital has since established telemedicine initiatives in Kazakhstan, Indonesia and Mongolia, helping improve access to specialist care.
The third pillar, he explains, is humanitarian outreach. Guided by its Catholic identity, the hospital provides life-saving surgeries and supports medical missions throughout Asia. Partnerships with organizations like Um Hong Gil Human Foundation will soon see teams travel to Nepal to provide healthcare and education support.
“Our goal within five years is to build a borderless ecosystem where cutting-edge technology is deployed in foreign countries,” he says. “And I want to spread Christ’s universal love to other countries and their patients in those foreign countries without compromise.”
Steeped in faith, International St Mary’s Hospital’s identity transcends religious and cultural differences. Whether working in Muslim-majority nations like Indonesia and Kazakhstan or collaborating with governments and healthcare providers around the world, Go says trust is universal.
“Catholic means universal,” he points out. “As a Catholic priest, they see me as a publicly trusted figure – that sets our hospital apart.”
At a time when healthcare systems are under strain and leadership is often transactional, International St Mary’s Hospital offers a different model where speed is balanced by ethics, innovation by compassion and global ambition by local responsibility.
“I want us to become one of the country’s top-ranked hospitals and, ultimately, to be recognized among the world’s leading international healthcare institutions,” Go concludes.
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