The National Medical Center has appointed Hong In-pyo, head of its plastic surgery division, as vice president, the hospital said Monday.

Hong has been working at the hospital since 1990 and is keen to treat multicultural families and North Korean defectors. He was appointed chief of the Korean Society for Public Health and Medicine earlier this year.

“As vice president, I will place priority on enhancing communication among workers in order to facilitate organizational innovation,” Hong said.

“As the economy is showing few signs of recovery, people are more interested in the public medical system. I will help Yun Yeu-kyu, head of the NMC, put the hospital at the top of the industry,” he said.

By Bae Ji-sook (baejisook@heraldcorp.com)