Hwasun-gun Gains Momentum in Establishing National Vaccine Safety Technology Support Center

[Hwasun=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Ji-woon] On the 1st, Jeollanam-do Hwasun-gun (Governor Gu Chung-gon) announced that the passage of the 'Pharmaceutical Affairs Act Amendment' at the National Assembly plenary session on the 29th has given momentum to the construction of the National Vaccine Safety Technology Support Center (hereinafter referred to as the Vaccine Support Center) that is being promoted.

This Pharmaceutical Affairs Act amendment was a bill primarily proposed by Kim Won, a member of the Health and Welfare Committee from the Democratic Party of Korea.

The bill includes the establishment of the Vaccine Support Center and the basis for financial support.

It focuses on establishing a special corporation rather than a civil law foundation corporation to ensure sufficient public interest outcomes of the Vaccine Support Center, which is being established with national budget funds.

The Vaccine Support Center is a core infrastructure of the national vaccine strategy, investing a total project cost of 28.3 billion KRW (21.3 billion KRW from the national government, 7 billion KRW from local government), supporting rapid vaccine productization through full-cycle technology support from vaccine research and development to consulting, clinical trials, approval, and authorization.

The county had faced difficulties in building necessary equipment, hiring specialized personnel, and securing operating expenses due to a lack of legal grounds.

With this legal amendment, a legal basis has been established to secure the center's external credibility, stable construction, and operation.

The Vaccine Support Center plans to complete construction in the Hwasun Vaccine Industry Special Zone by September next year and support clinical analysis for vaccine productization starting from April 2023.

A county official said, “The National Vaccine Safety Technology Support Center will play a pivotal role in preventing the spread of infectious diseases and responding quickly to crisis situations by contributing to stable vaccine supply and improving vaccine self-sufficiency rates.”

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