The Grand Interview: Jeong Eun Kyeong, Minister of Health and Welfare
For this issue dedicated to health and aging, Corée Affaires met with Jeong Eun Kyeong, Minister of Health and Welfare of the Republic of Korea. Interview conducted by Wiham Idbella, Communications Project Manager at FKCCI, and U Min Lee, Corporate and Public Affairs Officer.
An "active welfare state" as strategic direction
For the Minister, the Ministry of Health and Welfare plays a central role in the daily lives of Korean citizens. Her medium- and long-term vision rests on building an "active welfare state" that ensures the wellbeing of all. This means strengthening the state's responsibility toward vulnerable and disabled populations, consolidating social safety nets, and better managing pension and health insurance systems to secure a sustainable and prosperous future for the country.
2026: toward an integrated care system
One of the major announcements concerns the nationwide rollout, starting in March, of an integrated care system. The goal is to provide citizens with medical services, long-term care, and support tailored to individual needs, while allowing them to keep living in their usual environment, following the principle of "aging in place."
Other measures accompany this reform: strengthening regional university hospitals, creating a system of regional doctors and public medical schools, revising the old-age pension system to encourage senior participation in the labor market, and gradually raising the age limit for child allowance payments (from 8 to 13 years old by 2030).
Addressing the declining birth rate
The Minister also discussed policies aimed at creating a favorable environment for raising children, with the ambition of building a genuine "childhood-first society": expanding child allowances, strengthening community childcare systems, and reinforcing safety nets for children, particularly in pediatrics and obstetrics.
Mental health, regional hospitals, and health insurance financing
Facing rising mental health issues among young people, the government is putting in place an integrated mental and physical health management system, with easier access to psychiatric care and the development of anonymous digital counseling and support services.
On a territorial level, the Minister emphasized strengthening the public nature of the healthcare system to reduce regional inequalities, through greater public investment, the development of essential and public care, and transferring oversight of regional university hospitals to the Ministry.
Regarding health insurance financing, with medical spending linked to aging already accounting for 45% of total costs, the government is focusing on more rational spending management: adjusting medical fees, reforming drug pricing, and strengthening post-reimbursement controls.
Digital technology and AI in public health
Asked about the role of digital technology and artificial intelligence, the Minister noted that the government is actively deploying them in regional, essential, and public care to reduce inequalities in access to advanced medical technologies. Korea is also developing a sovereign "Korean AI" model, similar to France's Mistral AI, to strengthen public trust in these technologies.
A message to French companies in Korea
In closing, the Minister highlighted the strength of the France-Korea relationship, built on 140 years of diplomatic ties, and the shared challenges the two countries face, particularly declining birth rates and an aging population. She called for deeper cooperation in bio-health and pharmaceuticals through strategic partnerships and open innovation, drawing on each country's complementary strengths: Korea's R&D and early-stage clinical trials, and France's expertise in advanced clinical phases and global market access. The partnership between Sanofi and ABL Bio, she noted, illustrates this kind of win-win cooperation, and she invited French companies and citizens in Korea to become key partners in this momentum.
Interview conducted by Wiham Idbella and U Min Lee for Corée Affaires n°116, as part of the "Health & Aging: A Korea in Transformation" feature.
