Establishment of National Infectious Disease Crisis Response Advisory Committee... All 21 Members Are Private Experts

Professor Jeong Ki-seok, Chairperson, Department of Pulmonology, Hallym University College of Medicine

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-won] A committee composed entirely of private experts has been newly established to provide scientific evidence-based advice on the government's quarantine policies.

On the 30th, the Central Disease Control Headquarters announced that, in preparation for infectious disease crises, it will form the "National Infectious Disease Crisis Response Advisory Committee" under the Prime Minister, allowing private experts to propose policies based on scientific evidence.

The committee is largely composed of the "Advisory Committee" and two "Subcommittees." The Advisory Committee is responsible for overall consultation on government policy decision-making, including preparing policy recommendations based on scientific analysis for infectious disease crisis response. The Subcommittees handle scientific evidence analysis and practical review in the quarantine medical and socio-economic sectors, respectively.

The advisory members were selected based on recommendations from academic societies, related ministries, and public institutions, consisting of 13 members in the quarantine medical subcommittee and 8 members in the socio-economic subcommittee. The chairperson is Professor Jeong Gi-seok of the Department of Respiratory Medicine at Hallym University College of Medicine.

Among the quarantine medical subcommittee advisory members, Professor Kim Nam-joong of Seoul National University College of Medicine, Professor Kim Dong-hyun of Hallym University College of Medicine, Professor Jeong Eun-ok of Konkuk University Department of Mathematics, and Professor Choi Eun-hwa of Seoul National University College of Medicine also serve concurrently on the socio-economic subcommittee.

The Central Disease Control Headquarters explained, "Advisory members were selected based on criteria such as extensive knowledge and experience in related fields, contributions to national policies through infectious disease-related research achievements, and suitability for the role," adding, "To emphasize scientific evidence, the entire committee is composed of private experts."

The Advisory Committee is currently undertaking administrative measures such as agenda discovery and ordinance establishment, aiming to hold its first meeting early next month. Known agenda items include criteria for transitioning COVID-19 confirmed patient isolation obligations and evidence-based response recommendations for preparing for a resurgence in the second half of the year.

Baek Kyung-ran, head of the Central Disease Control Headquarters (Director of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency), stated, "We expect this Advisory Committee to provide opportunities to fully utilize the expertise of various fields and to play a key role in establishing quarantine policies based on scientific evidence during infectious disease crises."