[COVID-19 Transformation] Elevating 질본 to Agency Status: Enhancing Independence and Expertise

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] Attention is focused on how the status of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) will be strengthened in the 21st National Assembly, which is launching amid the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) crisis. Since the COVID-19 situation is evaluated to have been stably managed, there is growing expectation that an opportunity will be gained to enhance its independence and expertise.

Both ruling and opposition parties pledged during the April 15 general election to elevate the KCDC under the Ministry of Health and Welfare to the Korea Disease Control Agency. This means making it an independent agency at the level of a central administrative organization (Cheong). Since there is no disagreement between the parties and the ruling party is actively pushing for it, the possibility of realization is high. Shin Hyun-young, a proportional representative elected from the Democratic Party of Korea, plans to propose the "Korea Disease Control Agency Act" as her first bill.

If the elevation to an agency is realized, the KCDC will be able to independently manage organizational operations, personnel, budget, and policy implementation. Although its status was raised from director-level to vice minister-level after the 2015 Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreak, limitations remain. The authority over personnel and budget decisions is effectively held by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Personnel appointments at the manager level (grade 5) or higher require approval from the Ministry, and the budget is allocated within the Ministry’s total budget. The expertise also declines as Ministry officials rotate through the KCDC.

Above all, there are restrictions in conducting initial quarantine measures, which are fundamental to infectious disease control. In early February, when COVID-19 began to spread domestically, KCDC Director Jeong Eun-kyeong said regarding entry restrictions from China, "It is better if high-risk groups enter less." However, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Blue House did not accept this. Yoon Seok-jun, dean of the Graduate School of Public Health at Korea University, pointed out in a report titled "A Study on the Organizational Status of Health and Medical Administrative Organizations and Physician Participation Methods in OECD Countries" that "In Korea, not only the Ministry of Health and Welfare but various ministries are involved in health affairs, causing problems in efficiency and other aspects."

This contrasts with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which independently raised the travel advisory for Korea to level 3 in February. The CDC, which exercises strong authority during infectious disease outbreaks, has personnel and budget authority and can even mobilize police forces to enforce compulsory measures on suspected patients.

If the KCDC is elevated to a central administrative agency, it will be granted independence and be able to operate regional subordinate organizations, enabling efficient response to public health crises such as infectious disease outbreaks. The ruling party’s plan to establish six regional headquarters of the KCDC and five quarantine offices reflects the judgment that an organization like the CDC is necessary. If the establishment of regional headquarters is realized, the KCDC will be able to exercise direct command authority over local governments. With the KCDC acting as a control tower, local organizations will function as its "hands and feet."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.