Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates met with President Lee Jae Myung on Thursday to discuss global health security, highlighting South Korea’s technological and manufacturing capabilities and urging the country to play a larger role in the development and distribution of vaccines to developing nations.
The meeting, held during Gates’ visit to South Korea, highlighted the country’s growing biotechnology sector and its potential to play a bigger role in reducing child mortality worldwide. Gates praised South Korea’s rapid progress in vaccine research and production, citing the work of institutions and companies such as the International Vaccine Institute, SK Bioscience, LG Chem and EuBiologics.
Gates was quoted as saying in Korean that South Korea’s bioscience products are at an extraordinary level. He noted how Korean-made COVID-19 vaccines and diagnostic tools contributed during the pandemic, according to the presidential office. He added that Korea’s innovation could be vital in helping the Gates Foundation meet its ambitious goal of cutting global child mortality to below 2 million annually within two decades.
Lee, in turn, expressed admiration for Gates’ shift from building the Windows software empire to focusing on global public goods such as vaccines and clean energy. “The Korean government will do its utmost to find ways to work together for the good of humanity,” the president said.
Gates emphasized that his foundation, which marked its 25th anniversary this year, has pledged to spend its $200 billion endowment over the next 20 years, with global health at the center of its mission. Since 2000, child mortality has dropped from 10 million deaths annually to below 5 million, a trend Gates hopes to accelerate with greater international cooperation.
According to presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung, Gates also noted that while artificial intelligence and other advanced technologies bring progress, they could also increase health care costs and deepen inequality in low-income countries, highlighting the need for multilateral cooperation. On Gates' concern, Lee suggested that small modular nuclear reactors could help meet the rising power demands of AI and semiconductor industries, the spokesperson told reporters. Gates is also the founder of small modular reactor developer TerraPower.
Gates addressed Lee’s upcoming visit to the United States, referencing the upcoming discussions with President Donald Trump, which Lee said he would handle carefully, the spokesperson added.
During his two-day visit to Seoul, Gates also met with Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, was scheduled to hold a press conference at the National Assembly later in the afternoon and was set to appear on a local television program hosted by Yoo Jae-seok.
khnews@heraldcorp.com
