• Former member of K-pop group Wonder Girls and her son to champion global vaccine equity

May 16, 2025, SEOUL, Republic of Korea – The International Vaccine Institute (IVI), the world’s only international organization solely dedicated to the discovery, development, and delivery of vaccines for global health, announces the appointment of Ms. Hyerim Woo and her three-year-old son, Siwoo Shin, as IVI Goodwill Ambassadors.

Hyerim, widely known as a former member of the iconic K-pop group Wonder Girls, is now an accomplished interpreter and host of an English-language radio program on KBS World Radio. She is also an active supporter of charitable causes. Together with her son Siwoo, a cheerful and bilingual toddler who charms audiences on KBS’s hit reality show ‘The Return of Superman’, they will lend their voices to raise awareness about the importance of vaccines and IVI’s mission.

“As a mother of two and a public figure, becoming a Goodwill Ambassador for IVI is a deeply meaningful opportunity,” said Hyerim in her acceptance speech at the appointment ceremony held at IVI Headquarters in Seoul on May 15. “I would like to invite my fans and the public to learn more about IVI and join us in supporting IVI’s life-saving work.”

IVI hopes that Hyerim and Siwoo’s warmth and popularity will help expand public awareness and support for vaccine development and global immunization efforts, especially among young families.

Dr. Jerome Kim, Director General of IVI, shared: “We are thrilled to welcome Hyerim Woo and Siwoo Shin to the IVI family. Their positive energy and dedication to public service will be a tremendous asset to advancing IVI’s vision. With their support, we hope to inspire greater public awareness and engagement as we work toward a healthier world made possible by vaccination—available to everyone, everywhere including the most vulnerable.”

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About the International Vaccine Institute (IVI)

The International Vaccine Institute (IVI) is a non-profit international organization established in 1997 at the initiative of the United Nations Development Programme with a mission to discover, develop, and deliver safe, effective, and affordable vaccines for global health.

IVI’s current portfolio includes vaccines at all stages of pre-clinical and clinical development for infectious diseases that disproportionately affect low- and middle-income countries, such as cholera, typhoid, chikungunya, shigella, salmonella, schistosomiasis, hepatitis E, HPV, COVID-19, and more. IVI developed the world’s first low-cost oral cholera vaccine, pre-qualified by the World Health Organization (WHO), and developed a new-generation typhoid conjugate vaccine that also achieved WHO prequalification in early 2024.

IVI is headquartered in Seoul, Republic of Korea with a Europe Regional Office in Sweden, an Africa Regional Office in Rwanda, a Country Office in Austria, and a Country and Project Office in Kenya. IVI additionally co-founded the Hong Kong Jockey Club Global Health Institute in Hong Kong and hosts Collaborating Centers in Ghana, Ethiopia, and Madagascar. 42 countries and the WHO are members of IVI, and the governments of the Republic of Korea, Sweden, India, Finland, Austria, and Thailand provide state funding. For more information, please visit https://www.ivi.int.