Policy Updates

On June 19, 2024, the South Korean MOHW announced the plan to establish a committee for international development cooperation to systematically implement ODA projects.

The MOHW aims to create a foundation for the systematic implementation of ODA projects. The announcement noted that the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the importance of international cooperation in healthcare. The MOHW’s ODA budget has been steadily increasing.

Healthcare ODA as a share of total OECD DAC member states‘ ODA was 6% in 2018 and grew to 12.7% in 2021. From 2019 to 2024, the growth rate of MOHW’s ODA budget was 59.8%, or 109.3% when including the ODA budget for the KDCA.

On June 19, 2024, a policy discussion at the South Korean National Assembly, attended by experts on health ODA and former MOFA Minister Jin Park, discussed the major achievements and future policy directions of South Korea’s global health ODA projects.

The discussion emphasized the importance of international cooperation in achieving the UN SDGs as well as concerns about the decrease in the health ODA budget for infectious disease response, including the South Korean government’s recent announcement to abolish the GDEF.

Since its establishment in 2017, the GDEF has played an important role in developing vaccines and treatments for infectious diseases by supporting global health organizations such as CEPI, Unitaid, Gavi, and GFTAM. In particular, CEPI has invested in Korean biotech companies and universities to develop a domestic COVID-19 vaccine. However, the South Korean government decided to abolish the departure tax, the main source of funding for the GDEF in late 2024. There is no plan to fill the funding gap, which will result in the termination of funding for global health ODA projects funded by the GDEF.

The ministers urged that regardless of the abolition of the GDEF, it is urgent to secure funding for global health ODA projects. They also noted that Basic Strategy for Health ODA was scheduled to be released in 2022, but the delay has increased the uncertainty of the South Korean government’s global health ODA program.

In response to these international demands, the South Korean government was advised to closely coordinate its policy direction on global health ODA and strengthen its support and cooperation with international organizations. This will allow South Korea to expand its influence in the international community and establish itself as a global pivotal state.

On June 4, 2024, South Korean President Suk Yeol Yoon announced to increase South Korea’s ODA to US$10 billion by 2030 as a catalyst for projects for cooperation with Africa at the 2024 Korea-Africa Summit.

The increase is double the level of South Korea's 2024 ODA budget. At the Korea-Africa Summit, a joint declaration was adopted to support e-government in Africa and proactively promote the KSP for Africa’s economic development and digital-based trade.

The joint declaration presented three priority areas:

• Shared growth: expand ODA up to US$10 billion by 2030, provide US$14 billion in export financing to Korean companies, and share the lessons learned from the experience of concluding free trade agreements;
• Sustainability: strengthen international cooperation to create a climate finance architecture responsive to Africa’s needs, advance cooperation for food security and sustainable agriculture, and establish primary healthcare infrastructure and leadership for critical mineral reserves; and
• Solidarity: support counterterrorism efforts and continue efforts in providing humanitarian assistance, achieve irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and cultivate talented human resources through education and training.

On May 27, 2024, South Korean Minister of Health and Welfare Kyu-hong Cho and the government delegation attended the 77^th World Health Assembly in Geneva.

It was the first time since 2019 that the Minister of Health and Welfare served as the chief delegate. In his keynote speech, Cho supported the adoption of the 14^th General Work Programme and highlighted the government’s commitment to ensuring health for all. He introduced South Korea's efforts in international cooperation, including the operation of the Global Biomanufacturing Workforce Training Hub to strengthen the capacity of low- and middle-income countries to produce vaccines and treatments, and the World Bio Summit, which will be held in November 2024.

Cho held bilateral meetings with the WHO Director General and key member states including Japan, Australia, and Indonesia. In addition, a memorandum of understanding is slated to be signed with Singapore’s Interim Infectious Disease Control Authority and CEPI to expand cooperation on global infectious disease preparedness and response.

On May 17, 2024, the KOICA and the US CDC signed a memorandum of understanding on health security capacity building projects to continue the US' and South Korea’s flagship global health and security collaboration in Ghana with a follow-up project totaling KRW14 billion (US$11 million), which has garnered attention for its contributions to overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic crisis in the region.

The project aims to strengthen the prevention, detection, and response to public health risks and events such as the pandemic, yellow fever, and cholera by 2027. The US CDC, the Ghana Health Service, the University of Ghana, and the WHO will collaborate on the project funded by the South Korean government.

Ghana is a hub country for training epidemiologists in West Africa, which is expected to contribute significantly to health security and the establishment of an international network for domestic preparedness and response to emerging infectious diseases. This project will also contribute to raising Korea’s international profile on global health security.

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.