President Moon: "Elevation of Disease Control Agency Marks a Revolutionary Advancement in Infectious Disease Response System" (Comprehensive)

Presiding over the State Council Meeting, Organizational Restructuring Including the Establishment of a Deputy Minister for Health at the Ministry of Welfare... "Communication with the Medical Community and Cooperation with the National Assembly through the Legislative-Executive Consultative Body"

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min] On the morning of the 8th, President Moon Jae-in presided over the Cabinet meeting via video conference at the Yeomin 1 Hall video conference room of the Blue House and stated, "The elevation of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) is a groundbreaking advancement in our infectious disease response system."

At the Cabinet meeting that day, the organizational reform plan regarding the elevation of the KCDC to the KDCA and the establishment of a dedicated vice minister for health under the Ministry of Health and Welfare was discussed. President Moon explained, "The KCDC, which enjoys the support and backing of the entire nation, was created during the Roh Moo-hyun administration when the National Institute of Health was expanded and reorganized, and its capabilities have been further enhanced after being elevated to vice-ministerial level following the MERS outbreak."

President Moon evaluated, "The KCDC played a central role in leading the exemplary K-quarantine system during the COVID-19 response process. Based on that trust, it has now been elevated to an independent administrative agency, the KDCA, thereby becoming a comprehensive infectious disease control organization with significantly strengthened independence and expertise."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

President Moon said, "The KDCA will now have practical authority and be able to establish an organic and meticulous response network from infectious disease surveillance to investigation and analysis, crisis response, and prevention," adding, "By establishing the National Institute of Infectious Diseases under the National Institute of Health affiliated with the KDCA, a full-cycle research and development system for infectious diseases will be built through support for infectious disease virus and clinical research, as well as vaccine development."

President Moon expressed expectations, saying, "The regional infectious disease response system can also be strengthened. By installing five regional disease response centers and cooperating organically with local governments, the infectious disease response capabilities of local governments will be greatly enhanced, making community quarantine more robust."

Furthermore, President Moon said, "The establishment of a dedicated vice minister for health under the Ministry of Health and Welfare is also very significant. As seen in the current COVID-19 crisis, in a situation where health crises are becoming more frequent, this will be an opportunity to greatly strengthen our public health and medical capabilities."

President Moon forecasted, "Along with increasing the health insurance coverage rate, the functions for securing public medical personnel and improving the treatment of healthcare workers will be reinforced, and policies on mental health, which have recently caused significant social costs, will also be strengthened. Policies to foster the healthcare industry utilizing big data and artificial intelligence as future growth engines will also be expanded."

In particular, President Moon expressed hope, saying, "With this organizational reform, our infectious disease response system and healthcare capabilities, which are already recognized as excellent worldwide, will develop to a higher level."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

President Moon urged, "I hope that the elevated KDCA will further strengthen infectious disease response capabilities. For now, I hope we overcome the critical phase of COVID-19 resurgence well and stabilize and firmly control COVID-19 as soon as possible."

President Moon also emphasized the very important role of the vice minister for health. He said, "Especially once COVID-19 stabilizes, efforts should focus on advancing our healthcare system to the next level. Through the medical-government consultative body, active communication with the medical community should be pursued, as well as active cooperation with the National Assembly, and broad public opinion should be gathered."

President Moon urged, "Please do your best to prepare reasonable solutions to protect the lives and health of the people, including expanding public medical services such as establishing infectious disease specialized hospitals, resolving medical disparities between regions, and addressing issues raised by the medical community."

Meanwhile, the Cabinet meeting that day was held by connecting the Government Seoul Office Cabinet meeting room, the Government Sejong Office Cabinet meeting room, and the Blue House via video conference. Attending at the Government Seoul Office were Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun, Cabinet members, Han Sang-hyuk Chairman of the Korea Communications Commission, Koo Yoon-cheol Director of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, Lee Ui-kyung Commissioner of the Korea Food and Drug Administration, Eun Sung-soo Chairman of the Financial Services Commission, Yoon Jong-in Chairman of the Personal Information Protection Commission, Seo Jeong-hyeop Acting Mayor of Seoul, Kim Seong-soo Head of the Science and Technology Headquarters, Choi Chang-won First Vice Minister of Government, and Kim Seong-soo Secretary to the Prime Minister.

At the Government Sejong Office, Minister of the Interior and Safety Jin Young, Chairman of the Fair Trade Commission Cho Sung-wook, Chairperson of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission Jeon Hyun-hee, Director of the Veterans Affairs Park Sam-deuk, Director of the Ministry of Personnel Management Hwang Seo-jong, and Director of the Ministry of Government Legislation Lee Kang-seop attended.

At the Blue House, Chief Secretary to the President Noh Young-min, Director of National Security Office Suh Hoon, Chief Presidential Secretary for Policy Kim Sang-jo, Director of the Presidential Security Service Yoo Yeon-sang, Senior Secretary for Political Affairs Choi Jae-sung, Senior Secretary for Public Communication Jung Man-ho, Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs Kim Jong-ho, Senior Secretary for Civil Society Kim Je-nam, Senior Secretary for Personnel Affairs Kim Oe-sook, Senior Secretary for Job Creation Hwang Deok-soon, Senior Secretary for Economic Affairs Lee Ho-seung, Senior Secretary for Social Affairs Yoon Chang-ryeol, Economic Advisor Park Bok-young, Science and Technology Advisor Park Soo-kyung, First Deputy Director of the National Security Office Seo Joo-seok, Second Deputy Director of the National Security Office Kim Hyun-jong, and Spokesperson Kang Min-seok attended.

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