1.2 Situation in the Republic of Korea

1.2.1 A member of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

At the end of 1997, with an international economic recession and a lack of foreign exchange, the Republic of Korea faced an economic crisis and turned to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for support. The GDP per capita dropped from US$ 13 255 in 1996 to US$ 8134 in 1998. The country bounced back from the 1997 Asian financial crisis, paid back a loan from the IMF in 2001 and resumed economic growth. GDP per capita increased again to US$ 24 454 in 2012 (17). This was a period of political stability in the Republic of Korea. Political power turned over peacefully every five years. Kim Dae-jung, who was the eighth president from 1998 to 2003, won the 2000 Nobel Peace Prize for his “Sunshine Policy”, an effort to restore democracy and a policy of engagement with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (18). The Republic of Korea’s remarkable economic development led to its membership in OECD in 1996, followed by its participation in OECD’s Development Assistance Committee (DAC) in 2010. The Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness was held in Busan, Republic of Korea, in 2011. The forum culminated in the signing of the Busan Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation by ministers of developed and developing nations, emerging economies, providers of South–South cooperation and triangular cooperation (usually involving a DAC member, an emerging donor in the global South, and a beneficiary in the global South), and civil society – marking a critical turning point in development cooperation (19).

r euters ©

Q on 12 december 1996, the republic of Korea became a member of the organisation for economic co-operation and development (oecd). gong ro-myung, Minister of foreign affairs of the republic of Korea (left), andJean-claude paye, oecd secretary-general (right), sign the agreement.

fds © M

Q officials unveil the signage for the Ministry of food and drug safety in 2013.

© K cdc

Q officials inaugurate the Korea centers for disease control and prevention and the Korea national institute of health in 2003.

1.2.2 The establishment of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and the Korean Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Average life expectancy in the Republic of Korea at birth extended from 74.4 years in 1997 to 82.4 years in 2014. The total fertility rate decreased from 1.52 in 1997 to 1.21 in 2014. The total population size increased from 45.9 million in 1997 to 50.4 million in 2014. The proportion of the total population aged 65 years old and older increased from 6.4% in 1997 to 12.7% in 2014 (20).

The country’s low fertility rate and ageing population became a major health policy issue in the Republic of Korea. In 2005, the Government of the Republic of Korea enacted the basic Act on Ageing Society and Population Fertility and established the Presidential Committee on Ageing Society and Population Fertility (21).

The Government of the Republic of Korea began an effort to strengthen its capacity for food and drug safety. In 1996, Korea Food and Drug Safety headquarters and six regional offices were established under the Ministry of Health and Welfare. In 1998, those were raised to the status of an independent agency – the Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA). In 2013, it was further elevated to the ministry level – the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) with an expanded mandate of comprehensive food safety management including agricultural, livestock and fisheries products (22).

In order to address emerging health issues more effectively, the Government of the Republic of Korea established the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) and the Korea National Institute of Health (KNIH) under the umbrella of the Ministry of Health and Welfare after the SARS outbreak in 2002–2003 (23).

In 2006, the Government also established a foundation that focused on international cooperation in health – the Korea Foundation for International Healthcare (KOFIH). It is committed to fulfil the growing roles and responsibilities of the Republic of Korea in international health by carrying out health aid projects for developing countries (24).