This report was prepared by Charles Baubion, Michele Cecchini, Emily Hewlett and Sabine Vuik, with input from Yuka Nishina. The authors also wish to thank Stefano Scarpetta, Mark Pearson, Francesca Colombo from the OECD Directorate of Employment, Labour and Social Affairs for their input. Thanks also go to Natalie Corry for editorial input and to Isabelle Vallard and Duniya Dedeyn for logistical assistance.
The completion of this report would not have been possible without the generous support of the Korean authorities. This report has benefited from the expertise and material received from many health officials, health professionals, and other health experts that the OECD review team interviewed during a research mission in Korea in June 2018. In particular, the OECD review team spoke with officials from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Interior and Safety. This report has also benefited from the comments of the Korean authorities and experts who reviewed earlier drafts; the authors’ particular thanks go to the numerous Korean experts who took the time to provide thoughtful and detailed feedback at the review stage.
The OECD review team would also like to thank the wide range of stakeholders who took the time to come and meet with them during their research mission, including teams from the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs (KIHASA), Korea Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (KCDC), the National Institute of Public Health, the National Medical Center, the National Cancer Center, the Korean Health Promotion Institute, Seoul City local government, representatives of the Red Cross, and a number of health care providers, including an alcohol treatment center, and a Public Health Center. The authors would also like to thank the academics who provided important insights into the Korean health system and public health, including Professor Chang-yup Kim.
Particular thanks go to Professor Seok-Jun Yoon, from Korea University, who acted as an academic peer reviewer for this report, and public health experts from the Australian Government Department of Health who acted as ‘country’ peer reviewers for this report, for the useful comments and suggestions shared with the authors.