1st Edition of the Korea Lung Cancer Policy Forum

On 18th November, ASPIRE convened the 1st Korea Lung Cancer Policy Forum at the National Assembly, bringing together policymakers, clinicians, researchers and patient advocates to focus on strengthening lung cancer prevention and early detection in Korea.

Korea’s national LDCT screening programme has delivered meaningful progress. But shifting epidemiology, especially rising cases among never-smokers and women, signals the need to update policies and close remaining gaps.

This roundtable honed in on the key questions shaping Korea’s next phase of lung cancer control:

🔹Updating who gets screened: Eligibility criteria capture only part of today’s high-risk population.

➡️ Next step: Build Korea-specific evidence and pilot studies to support guideline revision.

🔹 Improving screening quality and follow-up: Variation in reporting and referral creates delays for patients.

➡️ Next step: Strengthen national standards, provider training, and nodule-management protocols.

🔹 Making better use of national cancer data: Korea has strong data assets, but linkages remain incomplete.

➡️ Next step: Advance legal and technical work toward a unified, longitudinal cancer dataset.

🔹 Introducing AI and risk-based approaches responsibly: AI tools show promise but need validation and clear governance.

➡️ Next step: Prioritise accuracy testing, model validation, and transparent adoption frameworks.

🔹 Closing equity gaps: Screening uptake varies widely by region and income.

➡️ Next step: Expand targeted outreach and explore region-specific access solutions.

🔹 Strengthening prevention: Smoking, fine dust, and other risk factors continue to drive incidence.

➡️ Next step: Reinforce cessation support and broaden prevention efforts

ASPIRE will convene the 2nd Korea Lung Cancer Policy Forum in December, shifting the focus towards access to diagnostics, treatment, and survivorship. Together, these discussions will help inform Korea’s upcoming 5th National Cancer Control Plan.

A huge thank you to our co-host, National Assembly Member Suh Myung-ok, and to all presenters, panellists and participants for their insights and leadership: Ms. Jang Jae-won (Director, Division of Disease Policy, MoHW), Ms. Kim Eun-jung (Legislative Research Officer, Health Welfare and Women’s Team, NARS), Dr. Jung Kyu-won (Director General, Department of Cancer Registration and Surveillance, NCC), Prof. Kim Yeol (Director, National Lung Cancer Screening Quality Control Centre, NCC) Prof. Kim Yeon-wook (Bundang National University Hospital), Dr. Um Sang-won (Samsung Seoul Hospital), Prof. Jang Seung-hun (Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital), Prof. Kang Jin-hyoung (President, Korean Association for Lung Cancer), and Prof. Lee Seung-hyeun (Kyung Hee University) Mr. Yim Hyeong-seok (Korea Lung Cancer Patients Association), Mr. Cho Jeong-il (Korea Lung Cancer Patients Association), Ms. Kim Yoon-kyung (KBDCA) and Ms. Jung Geun-hwa (KBDCA)