South Korea to Switch to 9-Valent HPV Vaccine; KDCA Sets 2027 Budget at 1.4347 Trillion Won

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) has set its 2027 budget proposal at 1.4347 trillion won. That is an increase of 98.8 billion won, or 7.4%, from this year’s 1.3359 trillion won.

The KDCA announced the 2027 budget proposal on the 1st, following its approval at a Cabinet meeting. The proposal focuses on the prevention and management of infectious diseases on an ongoing basis and preparedness for emerging infectious diseases.

Support for the national immunization program will be substantially strengthened. The HPV vaccine provided through the national program to prevent cervical and anal cancers, among others, will be switched from the quadrivalent to the 9-valent vaccine, and the eligible age for adolescent boys will be expanded from age 12 to include age 13.

Eligibility for influenza vaccination will also be expanded from age 14 and younger to age 15 and younger. For adults 65 and older, the pneumococcal vaccine will be switched to a protein-conjugate vaccine (PCV), which provides broader and longer-lasting protection.

Accordingly, the budget for the national immunization program increased from 206.7 billion won to 252.2 billion won, while funding for influenza vaccination for adults 65 and older rose from 122.8 billion won to 135.4 billion won. The pneumococcal vaccination budget increased more than threefold, from 13.6 billion won to 41.8 billion won.

Health care-associated infection control will also be strengthened. The program to reduce carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) infections will expand from three to six provinces and cities, and six hospitals specializing in multidrug-resistant bacteria will be newly designated and operated.

The system for managing emerging infectious disease threats will also be upgraded. The number of institutions monitoring acute respiratory infection pathogens will increase from 100 to 130, and funding has been included to support the opening of the Honam Regional Infectious Disease Hospital, the country’s first specialized infectious disease hospital, in the first half of next year.

Infectious disease beds will be consolidated as national infectious disease beds, expanding the number eligible for support from 706 to 1,208. New funding includes 5 billion won for personal protective equipment and 25.5 billion won for antiviral drugs, among other stockpiled supplies.

Support for chronic and rare diseases will also expand. Hypertension and diabetes registration and education centers will be reorganized as integrated chronic disease management centers, increasing the number of participating local governments from 19 to 29. The number of specialized rare disease institutions will rise from 19 to 21.

The income and asset criteria for dependents in the rare disease medical expense support program will be phased out starting in 2027. The change will first apply to ultra-rare and other chromosomal disorders and to conditions eligible for support such as caregiving costs, and will expand to all rare diseases starting in 2028.

Research and development (R&D) investment to prepare for future health threats will also increase. Funding to support development of messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines for pandemic preparedness will rise from 26.4 billion won to 40.5 billion won, and 8 billion won has been newly allocated to the “Korean Pandemic Preparedness Engine,” an artificial intelligence (AI)-based vaccine development system.

Lim Seung-kwan, commissioner of the KDCA, said, “We focused on further strengthening core functions, including expanding coverage of the national immunization program through the transition to next-generation vaccines and broader eligibility, and upgrading the system for managing emerging infectious disease threats.”