KIST Joins Forces with KDCA to Prepare for Future Pandemics

KIST (President: Seok-Jin Yoon) and the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA; Commissioner: Youngmee Jee) held an international symposium on August 1st at the Four Seasons Hotel in Seoul, where they signed an MOU for strengthening the scientific response to the infectious disease crisis.

Officials from KIST and the KDCA were in attendance at the event, and agreed to pursue joint efforts to protect the public’s health from the infectious disease crisis.

In accordance with the MOU, KIST and the KDCA will promote cooperation through activities such as multidisciplinary joint research, policy suggestions and technical support, science-based research on infectious diseases, and establishing a consultative body for research.

Following the signing of the MOU, the two organizations plan to hold an international symposium with domestic and foreign experts to prepare and respond to new infectious diseases using scientific evidence to predict possible outbreaks, prepare optimal policies, and respond to various fields.

The symposium was comprised of two parts, with the first part focusing on presenting the use and importance of science-based research to respond to the infectious disease crisis, while the second part consisted of a panel discussion of domestic experts, including members of KIST and the KDCA.

* (Part 1) UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), National Institutes of Health (NIH), World Bank, Zhejiang University of China

** (Part 2) Discussion on multidisciplinary topics such as recent technology trends and development directions in predicting infectious disease outbreaks, perspectives on measures and policies utilized by quarantine authorities, and institutional grounds for predictive modeling

Yoon Hong Choi, a senior researcher at UKHSA, stated, "Science-based modeling can predict the spread of infectious diseases, analyze the short- and long-term effects of quarantine policies, and present scientific grounds for efficient and transparent policy decisions."

Meanwhile, Seok-Jin Yoon, President of KIST, mentioned, "To effectively respond to the threat of infectious diseases such as COVID-19, it is important to design scientific quarantine policies based on objective data."

Youngmee Jee, Commissioner of the KDCA, stated, "Because of the variable nature of the COVID-19 virus itself and changes in social behavior due to policy changes, it is necessary to integrate and utilize science and technology and infectious disease predictions," adding that "We will continue to do our best to establish quarantine policies based on scientific technology to protect the health and safety of the people in close cooperation with experts in various fields."

Additionally, the two organizations issued a joint statement, declaring that "Starting with this MOU and symposium, we will establish and operate a cooperative system through which regular joint research can be conducted, research results can be derived through regular presentations, and emergency response systems can be rapidly mobilized by professional researchers in times of crisis."