Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency

What Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency does

Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) is a South Korean government agency operating under the Ministry of Health and Welfare, headquartered in Osong Health and Medical Administrative Town, Cheongju. Established in 2020 through reorganization from the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), KDCA is the country's primary public health authority, responsible for infectious disease surveillance, vaccination policy, chronic disease management, health emergency response, and national health data collection. The agency serves the entire Korean population — approximately 51 million citizens — as well as healthcare providers and research institutions requiring infection control guidance and disease management protocols.

KDCA's operational infrastructure includes the National Vaccination Support System, the Infection Disease Portal (dportal.kdca.go.kr), the National Health Information Portal, the Vaccination Helper online tool, the Community Health Survey, and a real-time Heat Illness Monitoring System. The agency operates through ten wholly-owned organizational units: the National Institute of Health, National Institute of Infectious Disease, National Quarantine Station, National Masan Hospital, National Mokpo Hospital, and five regional disease response centers covering the Capital, Chungcheong, Honam, Gyeongbuk, and Gyeongnam regions. KDCA also runs the 1339 national health hotline and oversees programs such as the 16-year Hypertension and Diabetes Registration Management Project covering 750,000 elderly patients across 19 regions.

KDCA does not generate commercial revenue; it is funded entirely through government budget appropriations and provides public health services at no direct cost to citizens. Its strategic agenda includes major 2025 initiatives such as the Korean Pangenome Reference Project (with NNIH and PacBio, targeting 1,000+ whole genomes), the AI-designed mRNA SFTS vaccine consortium (with IVI, CEPI, ST Pharm, Seoul National University, and Houston Methodist, backed by up to US$16 million in CEPI funding), the world's first recombinant anthrax vaccine BARYTHRAX developed with GC Biopharma, and a national project to localize mRNA vaccine manufacturing by 2028. Recent partnerships and product launches signal expanding scope into genomic infrastructure, AI-driven vaccine design, and climate-health monitoring.

Name

Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency

Legal name

Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency

Website

https://cdc.go.kr

Company type

Public

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

KDCA is South Korea's primary public health agency, operating under the Ministry of Health and Welfare to deliver infectious disease surveillance, national vaccination programs, chronic disease management, and health emergency response to the entire Korean population.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Public Health Services

NAICS

Administration of Public Health Programs (923120), Public Administration (92), National Security and International Affairs (9281)

akta.pro primary industry

Non-Communicable Disease Prevention & Chronic Disease Programs (BPAIAJAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Chronic Disease & NCD Program Evaluation (e.g., diabetes/CVD/cancer) (HLAJANAG), Global Health Research, Clinical Trials & Product Development Partnerships (PDPs) (HLAJAOAM), Public Health Program Grants Management & Administration (HLAJALAC)

Keywords

• Disease surveillance
• Public health services
• National vaccination programs
• Infectious disease control
• Health data monitoring

Headquarters

HQ city

Cheongju

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Government funding and appropriations: Taxpayer-funded government agency operating under the Ministry of Health and Welfare, receiving annual government budget allocations for disease control, prevention, and public health activities

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) is a South Korean government agency that operates national infectious disease surveillance and response systems, manages the national vaccination program, conducts large-scale community health surveys, coordinates pandemic preparedness, and administers chronic and rare disease management initiatives. It also leads genomic research including the Korean Pangenome Reference Project and co-develops vaccines such as an AI-designed mRNA vaccine against Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (SFTS).

Product overview

Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) operates as a government health authority offering a unified platform of public health services including infectious disease surveillance and response, national vaccination programs, chronic disease management, and population health monitoring. The agency manages multiple interconnected systems including the Infection Disease Portal, National Health Information Portal, Vaccination Helper, and Community Health Survey. KDCA also leads genomic research initiatives like the Korean Pangenome Reference Project and collaborates on vaccine development including AI-designed mRNA vaccines. The agency's infrastructure supports disease monitoring, health emergency response, and health data collection for policy development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• National Vaccination Support System (국가예방접종 지원체계)
• Infection Disease Portal (감염병 포털)
• Hypertension and Diabetes Registration Management Project
• Community Health Survey (지역사회건강조사)
• Korean Pangenome Reference Project National genomic initiative generating telomere-to-telomere quality reference genomes representing the Korean population, integrated with the global Human Pangenome Reference Consortium (HPRC). Targets sequencing of over 1,000 whole genomes using PacBio HiFi technology.
• AI-Designed mRNA Vaccine Against SFTS Vaccine development program against Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (SFTS) tick-borne virus, part of a consortium with International Vaccine Institute, ST Pharm, Seoul National University, and Houston Methodist Research Institute, funded by CEPI with up to US$16 million for preclinical and Phase I/II clinical trials.
• COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine (GC4006A) Phase 1 clinical trial IND application for GC Biopharma's mRNA COVID-19 vaccine candidate selected by KDCA under a government project aimed at localizing mRNA vaccine production in South Korea by 2028.
• Overseas Travel Health Information (해외여행건강정보) Travel health advisory service providing pre-trip vaccination requirements and health warnings for international destinations to Korean travelers.
• COVID-19 Vaccination Damage Compensation System Special compensation system for adverse effects from COVID-19 vaccinations administered under dedicated legislation.
• Heat Illness Monitoring System Real-time tracking system for heat-related illnesses and deaths, providing daily hospitalization and fatality data during summer months in South Korea.
• BARYTHRAX Recombinant Anthrax Vaccine World's first recombinant anthrax vaccine developed jointly with GC Biopharma, classified as Korea's 39th New Drug and 3rd New Drug Vaccine. Phase 2 clinical trials showed safety and immunogenicity in 240 healthy adults across five Korean hospitals.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1.9 percentage point lower mortality rate for patients in chronic disease management program
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• International Vaccine Institute (IVI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 December 2025IVI leads a consortium developing an AI-designed mRNA vaccine against Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome (SFTS). The consortium includes KDCA, ST Pharm, Seoul National University, and Houston Methodist Research Institute, with CEPI funding up to US$16 million for preclinical and Phase I/II clinical trials. This is the first time an SFTS vaccine candidate could be tested in humans.
• ST PharmcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 December 2025ST Pharm is part of the IVI-led consortium developing the AI-designed mRNA vaccine against SFTS tick-borne virus. Contributes pharmaceutical manufacturing and development expertise to the vaccine program.
• Seoul National UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 December 2025Academic research partner in the SFTS vaccine consortium contributing scientific expertise and research capabilities for the vaccine development project.
• Houston Methodist Research InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 December 2025International research partner in the SFTS vaccine consortium providing clinical research expertise and US-based research capabilities.
• GC BiopharmacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 November 2025Jointly developed BARYTHRAX, the world's first recombinant anthrax vaccine and Korea's 39th New Drug and 3rd New Drug Vaccine. KDCA collaborated with GC Biopharma on Phase 2 clinical trials showing safety and immunogenicity in 240 healthy adults across five Korean hospitals.
• National Institute of Health (NNIH)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 October 2025Co-leading the Korean Pangenome Reference Project with KDCA, a national initiative to generate telomere-to-telomere quality reference genomes representing the Korean population, integrating data into the global Human Pangenome Reference Consortium (HPRC).
• PacBiocoreTechnology or Integration · 13 October 2025PacBio's HiFi sequencing technology has been selected as the primary platform for the Korean Pangenome Reference Project. PacBio will provide integrated sequencing solutions including HiFi whole-genome sequencing, Kinnex full-length RNA analysis, and CiFi technology, targeting sequencing of over 1,000 whole genomes.
• GC BiopharmacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 September 2025KDCA selected GC Biopharma's mRNA COVID-19 vaccine candidate (GC4006A) under a government project aiming to localize mRNA vaccine production in South Korea by 2028. GC Biopharma submitted IND application for Phase 1 clinical trial to Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): The U.S. federal agency serving as the original national CDC model. KDCA shares an almost identical mandate—infectious disease surveillance, vaccination programs, chronic disease prevention, genomic surveillance, and health emergency response—making it the most direct global peer in terms of functional scope and authority.
• Robert Koch Institute (RKI): Germany's federal public health institute responsible for disease surveillance, epidemiologic research, and health protection. Directly comparable to KDCA in mandate and governmental structure, and a key European reference point for pandemic preparedness.
• Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC): Canada's national public health agency under the federal health portfolio, overseeing infectious disease control, chronic disease prevention, and health emergency response. Operates a near-identical mandate to KDCA within an OECD peer economy.
• UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA): UK government agency responsible for health protection from infectious diseases and environmental hazards. Operates as a national standalone agency post-2021 with a scope very closely aligned to KDCA's mandate across surveillance, vaccination, and emergency response.
• Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC): China's national public health agency operating under the National Health Commission. Comparable in mandate (disease surveillance, vaccination, outbreak response) and in operating as a government-funded agency within a large Asian population—directly analogous to KDCA's role in South Korea.
• European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC): EU agency coordinating disease surveillance, threat assessment, and response across member states. Comparable to KDCA in core function (EU-level disease control coordination), though operating supra-nationally rather than within a single country.
• National Institute of Infectious Diseases (Japan NIID): Japan's core infectious disease surveillance, research, and reference laboratory agency under the Ministry of Health. Most relevant Asian regional peer given geographic proximity, similar population health profile, and comparable infectious disease priorities.

Broad incumbents

• World Health Organization (WHO): Global UN agency setting international public health norms and coordinating cross-border disease response. Overlaps with KDCA's international health coordination work (KDCA operates a GHS coordination office) but at a much broader, supra-national scope.

Others

• International Vaccine Institute (IVI): Seoul-headquartered international organization dedicated to vaccine development for developing countries. IVI leads the SFTS vaccine consortium of which KDCA is a partner, making it the closest operational collaborator and ecosystem participant.
• Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI): CEPI funds KDCA-partnered vaccine R&D consortia (e.g., the US$16M SFTS mRNA program). While not a competing agency, CEPI is a key funding and coordination counterpart enabling KDCA's emerging infectious disease vaccine pipeline.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/KoreaDCA
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCa7-3Zvxg-5Rfxgu3RQY_gw
• Facebookfacebook.com/koreadca
• Instagraminstagram.com/koreadca
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/korea-disease-control-and-prevention-agency

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency