Jiyeongmi New Director of KDCA Inaugurated... "Approaching a New Phase of COVID-19, One Step Closer to Normal Life Recovery"

Jiyoungmi, the new Commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-ju] On the 19th, newly appointed Director of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) Ji Young-mi stated, "We will manage COVID-19 as a controllable epidemic to take a step closer to restoring the daily lives of the people."

In her inaugural speech, Director Ji said, "Although we have not yet escaped the crisis caused by COVID-19, we are entering a new phase where we must find a balance between disease response and daily recovery." She added, "We will gradually move away from the crisis response system for COVID-19 and steadily pursue the core tasks assigned to the KDCA in a balanced manner."

To this end, Director Ji explained that she will make every effort to protect vulnerable groups through additional winter vaccinations and active prescription guidance for oral therapeutics, and will promote plans to convert the emergency response organization into a permanent and regular operation system by reallocating personnel and resources.

Director Ji also pledged to focus on establishing the KDCA’s role and authority as a fully independent agency. Specifically, she set a direction to recruit necessary experts, establish a fair performance-based work evaluation system, and avoid frequent department transfers that hinder professional development.

Furthermore, she emphasized efforts to develop the KDCA into a leading institution in global health cooperation. Director Ji said, "Our government has significantly increased contributions to the Global Fund," and added, "The KDCA must take the lead in realizing the government's vision to lead the world in health care and fulfill responsibilities commensurate with its economic power."

Director Ji graduated from Seoul National University College of Medicine and earned her master's and doctoral degrees from the University of London in the UK. She has served as head of the Infectious Disease Research Center and Immunopathology Center at the National Institute of Health under the Korea Disease Control Headquarters, leader of the Pan-Government Infectious Disease Research Forum, president of the Korean Society of Infectious Diseases, special health care advisor to Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun, and special representative for health diplomacy at the Korea Foundation for International Exchange. She also worked as regional coordinator for the vaccination program at the WHO Western Pacific Regional Office and served as a member of the WHO COVID-19 Emergency Committee.

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