Policy Updates

From March 18-19, 2024, Commissioner Jee Youngmee of the KDCA met with WHO WPRO, the Asian Development Bank, and the Ministry of Health in the Philippines.

The KDCA and WPRO agreed to establish an annual high-level policy dialogue between the two to discuss issues related to disease control and climate health more closely and actively. Following this, the agencies agreed to transition the established Donor Meeting, which has been held at the director level, to a high-level meeting.

The KDCA has made contributions of US$1.6 million (KRW2.5 billion) for infectious disease control since 2009, as well as contributions of US$174,000 (KRW225 million) since 2012 to WHO WPRO. Jee announced that South Korea will host a high-level roundtable on climate change and health at the World Health City Forum in this November, inviting experts at WHO WPRO.

The KDCA will continue to lead in the field of health security through the World Health Assembly in May and bilateral meetings with many countries.

On February 15, 2024, South Korea and UNFPA held their first-ever policy meeting to address issues related to the global population and humanitarian assistance.

Regular financial contributions to UNFPA have been made by the Ministry of Health and Welfare since 1997, however, the UNFPA budget was transferred to MOFA since 2024.

Director General for Development Cooperation at the MOFA Do-yeon Won and Deputy Executive Director for Programmes at UNFPA Diene Keita led the meeting.

Won expressed the government’s strong vision to contribute to solving global problems as a global pivotal state with the expansion of the ODA budget. In particular, South Korea plans to strengthen humanitarian assistance and close cooperation with UNFPA.

Won and Keita shared strategies and policies of each to deepen mutual understanding and discuss future priorities for cooperation including the prevention of sexual violence in conflict situations as a part of the HDP Nexus. The meeting reflected the willingness of both sides to strategically and systematically develop cooperation between South Korea and UNFPA.

On February 2, 2024, KOICA and KDCA signed a revised MoU pledging to collaborate on the effective implementation of ODA projects in the health sector and improve global health security.

The first MoU between the two agencies was signed in 2018. With the newly revised MoU, the agencies will expand the scope of their cooperation to include joint planning on health ODA projects in partner countries and share information on infectious diseases outbreaks and health issues abroad.

The agencies noted their aim to pursue activities related to the GHSA. This collaboration will contribute to enhancing the effectiveness of health ODA projects in partner countries and sharing Korea’s successful know-how with the world.

On December 13, 2023, the South Korean MOFA co-hosted 2023 Health Cooperation Forum in the Indo-Pacific Region with US Department of State and the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

The forum marked the third time that the South Korean MOFA has organized a forum on health cooperation with key partner countries in the Indo-Pacific region. South Korean Global Health Security Ambassador Jaewook Choi highlighted the importance of international health cooperation partnerships in the post-pandemic era based on the lessons about the power of science and technology in vaccine development.

Experts from the Ministry of Health and Welfare and nine ASEAN member states held an in-depth discussion on ways to strengthen ASEAN-Korea health cooperation. The forum was an example of cooperation between South Korea, Australia, and the US. It served as an opportunity for ASEAN and Korean health experts to discuss concrete ways to cooperate on healthcare information, infectious disease crisis response, and health workforce capacity building as one of the key priorities of the KASI.

On December 3, 2023, South Korean 2^nd Vice Minister of Health and Welfare Min-soo Park attended the 16^th Tripartite Health Ministers Meeting alongside Japan and China to discuss strengthening cooperation in the healthcare sector, including joint response to infectious diseases.

The leaders of the three countries adopted a joint declaration, signed a memorandum of health cooperation, and agreed to outline their joint response to public health crises, including future pandemics.

Park shared South Korea’s policies in the field of digital health, including medical "big data", and highlighted the importance of a solid primary healthcare system and digital health system for achieving UHC. The meeting affirmed international commitment to strengthen bilateral and trilateral strategic healthcare cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region.

On November 21, 2023, South Korean Deputy Minister for Multilateral and Global Affairs Ki-hwan Kwon met with CEPI Chairwoman Jane Halton.

Kwon praised CEPI for its contributions to the development the of COVID-19 vaccine and to advancing equitable access to all vaccines. He expressed the expectation that the South Korean government would expand collaboration with CEPI in preparation for future pandemics.

Holton stated that CEPI plans to expand collaboration with South Korean government bodies, companies, and SMEs to address future infectious diseases. She highlighted the strengthened cooperation between Korea and CEPI during its strategic period of from 2022-2026, which is slated to support vaccine R&D as well as manufacturing.

The South Korean government noted that it plans to continue its efforts to be a responsible member of the international community by cooperating with numerous global health initiatives.

From November 20-22, 2023, South Korea hosted the first World Health City Forum in partnership with the Incheon city government, Seoul National University, Ewha Womans University, and Yonsei University.

20 countries and international organizations including the WHO and GCF, as well as academics, experts, government officials, and business representatives gathered to discuss globalization of risks and increased global safety.

The forum invited KDCA commissioner Youngmee Jee and US economist Jeremy Rifkin to deliver keynote speeches. ASEAN government ministers and ambassadors discussed healthcare cooperation and smart-city initiatives in anticipation of future pandemics.

Following thorough review and final consensus from the participants, the Incheon Declaration was officially adopted. Its priorities included:

• Improving equity, fairness, and social justice in the health sector;
• Strengthening people-centered community care services;
• Fostering participatory governance for inclusive health, safety, and resilience;
• Building decarbonized, resilient, and sustainable cities in the face of climate change;
• Creating an ecologically sustainable urban environment; and
• Using data-based intelligence for smart cities.

From November 20-21, 2023, South Korea co-hosted the 2^nd World Bio Summit with the WHO to discuss building pandemic preparedness and response systems, featuring representatives from national governments, the scientific community, the private sector, and international organizations in the vaccine and biofields.

The summit invited representatives from the ADB, CEPI, IVI, and FIND.

South Korean 2^nd Vice Minister of Health and Welfare Min-soo Park held a meeting with Saudi Arabia, Ukraine, Laos, CEPI, and the WHO. Representatives held in-depth discussions on expanding the capabilities of vaccine production and development at the government, corporate, and international organization levels. In particular, the KDCA pledged to expand its cooperation on pandemic response with Gavi and UKHSA.

From September 19 to 21, 2023, South Korean Ambassador of Global Health Security Jae Wook Choi attended global health events at the 78^th UN General Assembly and expressed South Korea's commitment to strengthening cooperation with the international community on global health issues.

Choi attended the TB Innovation Summit 3.0 on September 19, 2023, co-hosted by the Stop TB Partnership, MOFA, and KOICA. During the summit, he introduced the South Korean government’s contributions to tuberculosis eradication, including US$100 million to the GF for 2023-2025.

Choi attended a meeting of the Group of Friends of Solidarity for Global Health Security on September 20, 2023, to emphasize the importance of healthcare system investment. In the High-Level meeting on UHC, Choi elaborated on how South Korea’s universal healthcare system contributed to its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the need for international health cooperation based on primary healthcare.

MOFA stated that Choi’s participation in these recent High-Level meetings on health would be an opportunity to showcase South Korea's contributions to strengthening the international health response system and solidify international health cooperation.

From August 18-19, 2023, South Korean 2^nd Vice Minister of Health and Welfare Min-soo Park attended the G20 Health Ministers‘ Meeting in Gandhinagar, India.

Representatives from 20 major countries and international organizations discussed PPR measures, the establishment of collaborative systems including vaccines, diagnostic devices, and treatments, and collaboration strategies for digital health.

Park highlighted South Korea’s renowned infectious disease surveillance system related to PPR. He emphasized cooperation among G20 nations and the duty of international organizations to coordinate during health crises. Park also introduced South Korea’s policies in the field of digital health as a means to achieve UHC following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Park met with Steve Barclay, the UK Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, to sign an MoU on health cooperation. He also spoke with Australian Minister for Health and Aged Care Mark Butler, confirming their mutual commitment to enhancing bilateral and multilateral cooperation in global health. The two expressed a desire to strengthen collaboration in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors and expand health cooperation initiatives in the South Pacific region.