Jeong Eun-kyung Appointed as First Commissioner of Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency... President Moon Says "We Will Overcome Even More Severe Infectious Diseases"

Kang Do-tae Appointed as 2nd Vice Minister of Health and Welfare
Kim Kyung-sun Appointed as Vice Minister of Gender Equality and Family

Jung Eun-kyung, head of the Central Disease Control Headquarters (Director of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency), is holding a regular briefing on the domestic occurrence status of COVID-19 and the interim investigation results of confirmed patients on the afternoon of the 21st of last month at the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency in Cheongju, Chungbuk.

President Moon Jae-in on the 8th appointed Jung Eun-kyung (55), the current head of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as the first Commissioner of the newly established Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. Kang Do-tae (50), the current Director-General of Planning and Coordination at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, was appointed as the 2nd Vice Minister of Health and Welfare, and Kim Kyung-sun (51), the current Director-General of Planning and Coordination at the Ministry of Employment and Labor, was appointed as the new Vice Minister of Gender Equality and Family.

Kang Min-seok, the Blue House spokesperson, announced at a briefing at the Press Center that President Moon had made these vice minister-level appointments. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency was promoted from the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the 2nd Vice Minister position at the Ministry of Health and Welfare is a newly created post.

Commissioner Jung, born in 1965, graduated from Gwangju Jeonnam Girls' High School and Seoul National University College of Medicine, and earned a master's degree in public health and a doctorate in preventive medicine from the same university's graduate school. Commissioner Jung joined the Ministry of Health and Welfare through a health research officer recruitment and has served as Director of Emergency Medical Services, Director of Disease Policy, Director of the Disease Prevention Center, and Director of the Emergency Situation Center at the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

New Vice Minister Kang Do-tae, born in 1970, graduated from Seoul Myeonmok High School and Korea University with a degree in Trade, and earned a master's degree in Public Administration from Seoul National University. He entered the ministry through the 35th Administrative Examination and has held positions such as Welfare Administration Officer, Director of Health and Medical Policy, and Director-General of Health and Medical Policy at the Ministry of Health and Welfare.

New Vice Minister Kim Kyung-sun, born in 1969, graduated from Gyeongbuk Yeongju Girls' High School and Seoul National University with a degree in English Literature, and earned a master's degree in Policy Studies and a doctorate in Law from the same university's graduate school, as well as a master's degree in Law from Indiana University in the United States. After entering through the 35th Administrative Examination, she served as Director of Women's Employment, Director of Youth and Women's Employment Policy, and Director of Aging Society Workforce Policy at the Ministry of Employment and Labor.

Earlier that day, the government approved an organizational reform plan at the Cabinet meeting presided over by President Moon to promote the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency and to create a vice minister position dedicated to health at the Ministry of Health and Welfare.

At the meeting, President Moon said, as conveyed by Blue House Deputy Spokesperson Lim Se-eun, "I expect the promoted Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency to strengthen infectious disease response capabilities and to have the capacity to proactively respond to and overcome even more severe infectious diseases that may arise after COVID-19."

President Moon also instructed, "Starting with the establishment of a dedicated vice minister for health, focus on advancing our health and medical system to the next level, actively communicate with the medical community and the public, and do your best to develop reasonable solutions to protect the lives and health of the people, including expanding public healthcare, resolving regional medical disparities, and addressing issues raised by the medical community."

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