Yucatán and South Korea Team Up to Modernize Korea-Mexico Friendship Hospital

Mérida, Yucatán — The Yucatán state government and South Korea have agreed to jointly modernize the Korea-Mexico Friendship Hospital, transforming it into a comprehensive rehabilitation center for children, young people and adults.

The collaboration will bring infrastructure, technology, innovation and knowledge transfer to expand the hospital’s services, drawing on South Korea’s experience in specialized medical care. The agreement was finalized during a meeting between South Korean Ambassador Jooil Lee and Governor Joaquín Díaz Mena, who reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the historic ties between the two regions.

As part of the initiative, Lee announced that South Korea will donate 2.6 million pesos in radiodiagnostic equipment to the hospital, boosting its diagnostic capacity. The governor said the modernization fits into a broader vision to strengthen medical services in the area known as Ciudad Salud, which hosts several hospitals and specialized care projects.

Díaz Mena also noted that Yucatán has joined the IMSS-Bienestar program with support from President Claudia Sheinbaum’s administration, guaranteeing free health services for residents. The state Health Department will continue collaborating to improve care for Yucatecans.

Health Secretary Miguel Alberto Alcocer Gamboa explained that the hospital, currently a first-contact pediatric facility, will progressively expand to treat adults — particularly patients requiring rehabilitation for chronic conditions and disabilities. It will specialize in spinal cord injuries, cerebral palsy, neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s, and stroke or heart attack sequelae. The hospital will also coordinate with the new State Autism Center, to be built next door.

“It doesn’t change; it expands its service portfolio,” Alcocer Gamboa said. “It is transforming into an adult and pediatric rehabilitation hospital to accompany the patient through the disease process, rehabilitation and their reintegration into productive life.”

The new model draws on the National Institute of Rehabilitation Guillermo Ibarra Ibarra in Mexico City, South Korea’s National Rehabilitation Center, and Colombia’s Universidad de La Sabana clinic. Modernization will be carried out gradually without interrupting patient care.

Lee also highlighted the historical bond between South Korea and Yucatán, which dates to 1905 when the first Korean community arrived in the state. During the meeting, Díaz Mena presented the deep-water port project in Progreso and invited South Korean companies to explore investment opportunities in the state.

Also attending were Korean Consul Eugine Lee, Honorary Consul in Yucatán Ricardo Ponce Gutiérrez, and several state officials, including Economy and Labor Secretary Jorge Ermilo Barrera Novelo and Culture Secretary Patricia Martín Briceño.