Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA; Korean: 질병관리청; Hanja: 疾病管理廳), formerly Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC, Korean: 질병관리본부; Hanja: 疾病管理本部), is an organization under the South Korean Ministry of Welfare and Health that is responsible for the advancement of public health by managing prevention, survey, quarantine, trial, and research on infectious diseases, chronic and rare illnesses and injuries. It was founded in December 2003 and is located in Osong Health Technology Administration Complex in Cheongju.[1]The organization is led by the vice-ministerial-level Commissioner of KDCA.[2][3]
July 14, 1949: Central Health Centre was created under Ministry of Health
January 1, 1960: renamed to Central Health Institute
August 12, 1960: renamed to National Institute of Health
December 17, 1963: merged with National Chemical Laboratories, National Laboratory of Herb Medicine and National Institute of Public Health Training
February 1, 1967: renamed to National Institute of Public Health Training
November 1981: renamed to National Institute of Health
December 23, 1994: re-organised under Ministry of Health and Welfare
December 18, 2003: changed to Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC)
December 2010: moved its headquarters to Osong
April 2012: National Central Human Body Resource Bank was founded under KNIH of KCDC[4]
September 12, 2020: restructured into an expanded Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) under the Ministry with more autonomy and resources[5]
Its history is in line with the major infectious disease outbreaks in South Korea. After the SARS outbreak in 2003, the then-National Institute of Health was restructured to the American CDC-like KCDC. After the MERS outbreak in 2015, the head of KCDC was promoted to vice-ministerial level.[7]
Given the 2020 general election where all major parties promised raising KCDC's autonomy by lifting its status to "administration/agency (Korean: 청; Hanja: 廳)" and lessons learned from the COVID-19 outbreak, there have been rumors that there will be changes to the organisation in the near future.[7][8] In his special public address to mark his third year in office on 10 May 2020, President Moon Jae-in announced that he will seek revision of legislation to raise the status of the KCDC to the administration.[9]
On 12 September 2020, the KCDC expanded to an Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) with more autonomy and resources - most notably 42% increase in its staff number and its Center for Infectious Disease Research of KNIH becoming a research institute of KNIH.[10] Director of KCDC, Jeong Eun-kyeong, will continue lead the organisation as its first Commissioner.[11]
