Commonground
Senior Moderator
[emphasis is mine]
Published : Dec. 7, 2025
The South Korean government has announced a new contribution of $18.9 million to support efforts for pandemic preparedness and to bolster international health security.
According to Seoul’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the funds will be allocated as part of South Korea’s annual financial contribution to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations. With the latest announcement, South Korea’s cumulative contributions to CEPI stand at $70 million.
CEPI is a global partnership that aims to accelerate the development of vaccines and response tools within 100 days of identifying new viral threats, including Middle East respiratory syndrome, Lassa fever, Chikungunya and the hypothetical "Disease X."
The agreement on the new funding was signed on Thursday at CEPI’s headquarters in Oslo, Norway, during a meeting between South Korean Ambassador to Norway Seo Min-jung and CEPI CEO Richard Hatchett.
“Korea’s continued investment in CEPI is a powerful commitment to that readiness, and sends a strong, urgent message to the world that preparedness matters,” Hatchett said, stressing that pandemics are inevitable, but that the world “cannot afford to be caught off guard again.”
“With its exceptional R&D capacity and proven ability to mobilize fast, Korea is powering a partnership that brings us closer to one shared ambition: ending pandemics for good.”
At the event, Seo welcomed the progress of CEPI’s 2.0 strategy and reaffirmed South Korea’s strong commitment to pandemic preparedness. She emphasized the government’s intention to continue close cooperation with CEPI and highlighted the significance of Hatchett’s planned visit to Korea next year, expressing hope that it will further strengthen bilateral efforts.
South Korea’s latest contribution will support CEPI’s public-private partnership initiatives through the end of 2026, after which the organization is set to launch a new strategic phase. The upcoming CEPI 3.0 strategy will focus on enhancing global readiness to deliver on its "100-day mission" — developing effective countermeasures within three months of identifying a new infectious threat.
According to CEPI, achieving this timeline would represent a significant improvement compared to the development of the first COVID-19 vaccines. The novel coronavirus responsible for COVID-19 was first identified in January 2020, with vaccines beginning to roll out in December 2020
https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10631239
Published : Dec. 7, 2025
The South Korean government has announced a new contribution of $18.9 million to support efforts for pandemic preparedness and to bolster international health security.
According to Seoul’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the funds will be allocated as part of South Korea’s annual financial contribution to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations. With the latest announcement, South Korea’s cumulative contributions to CEPI stand at $70 million.
CEPI is a global partnership that aims to accelerate the development of vaccines and response tools within 100 days of identifying new viral threats, including Middle East respiratory syndrome, Lassa fever, Chikungunya and the hypothetical "Disease X."
The agreement on the new funding was signed on Thursday at CEPI’s headquarters in Oslo, Norway, during a meeting between South Korean Ambassador to Norway Seo Min-jung and CEPI CEO Richard Hatchett.
“Korea’s continued investment in CEPI is a powerful commitment to that readiness, and sends a strong, urgent message to the world that preparedness matters,” Hatchett said, stressing that pandemics are inevitable, but that the world “cannot afford to be caught off guard again.”
“With its exceptional R&D capacity and proven ability to mobilize fast, Korea is powering a partnership that brings us closer to one shared ambition: ending pandemics for good.”
At the event, Seo welcomed the progress of CEPI’s 2.0 strategy and reaffirmed South Korea’s strong commitment to pandemic preparedness. She emphasized the government’s intention to continue close cooperation with CEPI and highlighted the significance of Hatchett’s planned visit to Korea next year, expressing hope that it will further strengthen bilateral efforts.
South Korea’s latest contribution will support CEPI’s public-private partnership initiatives through the end of 2026, after which the organization is set to launch a new strategic phase. The upcoming CEPI 3.0 strategy will focus on enhancing global readiness to deliver on its "100-day mission" — developing effective countermeasures within three months of identifying a new infectious threat.
According to CEPI, achieving this timeline would represent a significant improvement compared to the development of the first COVID-19 vaccines. The novel coronavirus responsible for COVID-19 was first identified in January 2020, with vaccines beginning to roll out in December 2020
https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10631239