보건복지부 영문홈페이지

 

Korea Reaffirms Commitment to Cooperation

for a Safer, Healthier, and More Prosperous Future

with Japan and China

 

- 2nd Vice Minister Park Minsoo Participates in the 17th Tripartite Health Ministers’ Meeting in Tokyo -

Adoption of a Joint Statement to Strengthen Public Health Safety, Promote Healthy Aging,

and Achieve Universal Health Coverage -

 

Park Minsoo, the 2nd Vice Minister of Health and Welfare (MOHW), participated in the 17th Tripartite Health Ministers’ Meeting held in Tokyo, Japan, on Sunday, December 15. During the meeting, he engaged with chief representatives from Japan and China to discuss measures for advancing cooperation in health and medical fields to promote peace and prosperity across the Asia-Pacific region.

 

The meeting focused on three key agendas: strengthening public health through prevention, preparedness, and response to pandemics; promoting healthy aging; and establishing more resilient, equitable, and sustainable healthcare systems to achieve universal health coverage (UHC*).

 

* Universal Health Coverage(UHC) : A concept ensuring that all people can access preventive and treatment services without financial hardship

 

During the discussions, 2nd Vice Minister Park, Fukuoka Takamaro, Japan’s Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare, and Lei Haichao, Head of China’s National Health Commission, shared their countries’ policy experiences in addressing global health crises such as emerging infectious diseases and aging populations. They agreed to strengthen multi-layered cooperation to ensure health security in the Asia-Pacific region.

 

Following the meeting, the three representatives adopted the Joint Statement of the Tripartite Health Ministers’ Meeting, reflecting their shared commitment to cooperation. They also revised and signed the Tripartite Memorandum of Cooperation and the Joint Action Plan on Preparedness and Response Against Infectious Diseases with Pandemic or High Consequence Potential of Common Concern.

 

Based on these documents, Korea, Japan, and China will strengthen institutional coordination to enhance public health safety across the region. The three nations will also deepen both bilateral and multilateral cooperation to promote healthy aging and work toward universal health coverage.

 

On the sidelines of the Tripartite Health Ministers’ Meeting, 2nd Vice Minister Park held bilateral meetings with representatives from Japan, the Chair Country, China, and the World Health Organization’s Western Pacific Regional Office (WPRO*) to discuss pressing global health issues and explore avenues for international cooperation.

 

* WPRO: World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Western Pacific.

 

The 18th Tripartite Health Ministers’ Meeting is scheduled to take place in Korea in the second half of 2025. ///