• First Lady Kim Hea Kyung receives IVI and KSC leadership in her capacity as 6th Honorary President of IVI’s Support Committee

SEOUL, Republic of Korea, 19 March 2026 — Dr. Jerome Kim, Director General of the International Vaccine Institute (IVI), together with senior leadership of IVI and the Korea Support Committee for IVI (KSC), paid a courtesy call on First Lady Kim Hea Kyung of the Republic of Korea at Cheong Wa Dae (the Blue House) on 18 March. First Lady Kim was appointed last year as the 6^th Honorary President of KSC.

The courtesy call, held at the request of IVI and KSC, was attended by Dr. Kim, Mr. François Belin, Chief Operating Officer, and Dr. Han Kyung Taik, Deputy Director General of Government & Public Relations at IVI; Prof. Park Sang Chul, President of KSC (Distinguished Professor at Chonnam National University), Dr. BG Rhee, Chair of the KSC Board, and Prof. Cho Wan Kyoo, Executive Advisor to KSC (former President of Seoul National University). Also in attendance were Chang Wook-Jin, Deputy Minister for Global and Multilateral Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Kim Do-Keun, Director General of the Center for Vaccine Research at the Korea National Institute of Health under the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.

Since its establishment, KSC has appointed successive First Ladies as its Honorary President, beginning with the late First Lady Lee Hee Ho, as part of efforts to strengthen domestic and international awareness and support for the Republic of Korea’s contributions to global health and international solidarity.

Appointed as Honorary President of the KSC in September last year, First Lady Kim Hea Kyung plans to continue her advocacy efforts to raise international awareness of IVI’s mission and the importance of vaccine solidarity, while promoting broader participation by non‑member countries and stronger cooperation among IVI member states.

Currently, IVI has more than 40 member countries. As the host country of IVI’s headquarters, the Republic of Korea has contributed to global health through vaccine research and development, the training of international vaccine professionals, and the promotion of vaccine equity.

First Lady Kim Hea Kyung said, “IVI has contributed to safeguarding human health and saving lives through the development and delivery of safe and effective vaccines. I am delighted to join this meaningful journey of bringing hope to children around the world who are eagerly awaiting vaccines,” adding “As the 6th Honorary President of KSC, I will lend my support to strengthening the Republic of Korea’s global health leadership and work together to ensure that the positive impact of the International Vaccine Institute reaches communities around the world.”

IVI Director General Dr. Jerome Kim said, “Over the past 29 years, IVI has grown with the full support of the Republic of Korea as its headquarters host,” adding, “The Korea Support Committee has played a pivotal role in IVI’s development, and we are deeply grateful to First Lady Kim Hea Kyung for accepting the role of Honorary President and for her commitment to advancing global health and international vaccine solidarity.”

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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.