S. Korea joins WHO's executive board

SEOUL, May 19 (Yonhap) -- South Korea has joined the executive board of the World Health Organization (WHO), which will allow it play a leading role in resolving global health challenges, the health ministry here said Tuesday.

Confirmation was reached during the online meeting of the World Health Assembly (WHA) earlier in the day, with South Korea being one of 10 countries to become new board members, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said.

The WHA is the WHO's governing forum and its top decision-making body.

Seoul will serve on the board from 2020 through 2023, with Vice Health Minister Kim Ganglip tapped to represent the country. It first meeting as a member will take place on Friday during a WHO videoconference.

The WHO's board is made up of 34 countries from six regions around the world. Board members can screen the WHO's budget and play an important part in policy implementation and strategy formulation by the international health organization.

This marks the seventh time that Seoul will sit on the executive board since joining the WHO in 1949.

South Korea earlier was tapped to join the board following the WHO's West Pacific Regional Assembly held in October 2019. The regional assembly is made up of South Korea, China, Australia, Singapore and Tonga.

The ministry said that as an executive board member, South Korea will actively share with the rest of the world its experience dealing with the COVID-19 outbreak and play a role in the post-coronavirus period as the world moves to recover from the fallout of the pandemic.

yonngong@yna.co.kr
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