Baek Gyeong-ran, Director of KDCA, Announces Resignation... Ji Young-mi, Director of Korea Pasteur Institute, Likely Successor

Baek Kyung-ran, the Commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), is reported to have recently tendered her resignation. This marks the first time a KDCA commissioner under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration has stepped down voluntarily just seven months after taking office. Ji Young-mi, the director of the Korea Pasteur Institute (pictured), is considered the leading candidate to succeed her.

A presidential office official told Yonhap News Agency on the 16th, "Although Ji's appointment as Baek's successor has not been finalized, a decision is expected soon," indicating that she is under strong consideration.

Director Ji is an internationally recognized infectious disease expert who has worked for over 20 years at major domestic and international health and research institutions. She has served as the head of the Infectious Disease Research Center and the Immunopathology Center at the National Institute of Health under the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the head of the Pan-Government Infectious Disease Research Forum, president of the Korean Society of Infectious Diseases, special health and medical advisor to Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun, and special representative for health diplomacy at the Korea Foundation for International Exchange.

She also worked as the regional coordinator for the immunization program at the World Health Organization (WHO) Western Pacific Regional Office and is currently one of the 18 global members of the WHO COVID-19 Emergency Committee. She is also the wife of Lee Cheol-woo, a professor at Yonsei University Law School, who is an alumnus of Daekwang Elementary School and Seoul National University Law School, the same schools attended by President Yoon.

Commissioner Baek is reported to have offered her resignation amid controversies related to stock ownership. Since her appointment, she faced criticism and calls for resignation from opposition parties due to potential conflicts of interest arising from her holdings in bio-related stocks such as SK Bioscience, SK Biopharmaceuticals, and Syntekabio. She subsequently divested all these stocks. Additionally, controversy arose when her younger brother applied to become an outside director at a KOSDAQ-listed company producing COVID-19 diagnostic kits, revealing Baek's familial connection.

Last month, the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee filed a complaint with the prosecution, accusing Commissioner Baek of refusing to submit documents related to stock transactions and committing perjury during the parliamentary audit.

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