President Lee meets with WHO Director-General... “Continued expansion of the scope of international health cooperation” (comprehensive)

“International cooperation to prevent infectious diseases is essential”… Discussion on ways to expand AI and bio cooperation

“Korea will follow the will of the first WHO Director-General Lee Jong-wook and fulfill its responsibility as a reliable partner of WHO.”

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Ko Dong-wook = President Lee Jae-myung met with World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at the Blue House on the afternoon of the 21st and discussed ways to strengthen cooperation in health and medical services and expand international cooperation to prevent infectious diseases.

During the meeting, President Lee emphasized that Korea's role and contribution in the international community needs to be further expanded, and expressed his hope that Korea will continue to expand the scope of cooperation with the WHO in the fields of international health and health security, Blue House Spokesperson Kim Seong-wan said in a written briefing.

President Lee requested that Korea's outstanding talents, who have experienced developing from a country receiving support from the international community to a major contributing country, pay attention so that they can further contribute to the WHO.

Secretary-General Tedros expressed his gratitude for Korea's efforts to cooperate with WHO and promote international health, and responded, "I know Korea's development experience well. The contributions and roles of member countries within WHO should be appropriately reflected."

At the same time, he said, “Even in the field of artificial intelligence (AI), international cooperation that emphasizes equity is important,” and said he expects expanded cooperation in the AI ​​and bio fields.

The two sides also exchanged opinions on international cooperation to prevent and respond to infectious diseases.

President Lee said, “Infectious diseases are a challenge for the international community that cannot be responded to through the efforts of just one country,” and that close cooperation between the international community to prevent infectious diseases and jointly respond is essential.

Spokesperson Kim explained that Secretary-General Tedros evaluated the case in which more than 4,000 people from over 100 countries received vaccine and treatment-related training through the 'WHO Global Bio Human Resources Development Hub' established in Korea as a major achievement of international cooperation.

President Lee also asked about the recent Ebola outbreak and response status in the African region, and Secretary-General Tedros said that there are still concerns about the spread of Ebola in some parts of Africa and that WHO and the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are working closely to prevent the spread.

At the end of the meeting, President Lee said, "Let us continue to work together to promote international health and strengthen our capacity to respond to infectious diseases based on close cooperation between Korea and WHO."

Meanwhile, President Lee announced the news of the meeting on

He continued, "The late Dr. Jong-wook Lee, the first Korean Director-General of WHO, led global health with the belief of 'providing the best possible health to as many people as possible,'" and promised, "Our government will also follow in his footsteps and fulfill its responsibility as a strong partner of WHO."