Korea Foundation for International Healthcare

What Korea Foundation for International Healthcare does

Korea Foundation for International Healthcare (KOFIH) is a non-profit public medical institution established in 2006 under the oversight of the Republic of Korea's Ministry of Health and Welfare. It functions as Korea's sole specialized agency for international healthcare Official Development Assistance (ODA), implementing a portfolio that spans development cooperation in developing countries, the Dr. Lee Jong-wook Fellowship Program, North Korea healthcare support, overseas Korean healthcare support, overseas emergency relief, foreign-worker healthcare support, and medical resource provision. The foundation commemorates Dr. Lee Jong-wook, the 6th Director-General of the World Health Organization, and jointly administers the Dr. Lee Jong-wook Memorial Prize for Public Health presented annually at the World Health Assembly alongside WHO.

KOFIH's programmatic operations are anchored in the Dr. Lee Jong-wook Fellowship Program, which has trained 1,894 alumni from 36 countries across 8 training course types (clinical experts, biomedical engineers, infectious disease specialists, graduate degrees, health policy and management, health professional education, health financing and economics, and leadership) since 2007. Annual intake scaled from 11 trainees in 2007 to 222 in 2025. Program delivery is supported by a web-based platform called IMSOHIT (Integrated Management System Of Healthcare Invitational Training), which provides trainee statistics by country, course, year, gender, and continent, and maintains global alumni tracking — it is a management and reporting platform, not an AI-driven system. Strategic partnerships extend across KOICA, the National Cancer Center of Korea (notably for the 2025-2030 Uzbekistan Cervical Cancer National Screening Capacity Building Program), the International Vaccine Institute (IVI), HIRA, the National Health Insurance Service, KHIDI, and the Korean Surgical Society. Marketing and beneficiary engagement run through YouTube (MY Health Keeper multilingual channel), Naver Blog, Facebook, Instagram, X, and LinkedIn, supplemented by publications, annual reports, and the annual KGA (KOFIH Global Alumni) General Assembly.

KOFIH has no commercial revenue model: all programs and services are delivered free of charge to beneficiaries, funded by Korean ODA appropriations routed through the Ministry of Health and Welfare, with no disclosed pricing or paid tiers. Financial figures are not publicly disclosed. Operating geographies span Asia (including Korea, Uzbekistan, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Vietnam, Myanmar, Mongolia, the Philippines, Bangladesh, China, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Kyrgyzstan), Africa (Ghana, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Mozambique, Madagascar, Zambia, Egypt, Congo, Eritrea, Gabon, Central African Republic, Somaliland, Cameroon, Malawi, Sudan, Zimbabwe), Latin America (Paraguay, Ecuador, Guatemala), Pacific Island countries (Fiji, Tonga), and the Middle East (Palestine). Leadership is headed by President Il-Soo Ha.

Name

Korea Foundation for International Healthcare

Legal name

한국국제보건의료재단

Website

https://kofih.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Korea Foundation for International Healthcare (KOFIH) is a Korean public medical institution that delivers international healthcare Official Development Assistance — including the Lee Jong-wook Fellowship Program training, development cooperation projects, medical resource supply, and diaspora healthcare support — to developing country governments, overseas Koreans, and migrant workers across 36+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Healthcare Cooperation

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Bilateral Development & Aid Agencies (HLAJAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

International & Global Public Health Aid Administration (Government Donors) (HLAJALAO), Bilateral Development & Global Health Cooperation Programs (HLAJAOAB)

Keywords

• International healthcare cooperation
• Health workforce training
• ODA development programs
• Global health fellowships
• Health system capacity building

Headquarters

HQ city

Seoul

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

KOFIH implements Korea's international healthcare Official Development Assistance programs, including the Dr. Lee Jong-wook Fellowship Program for training foreign healthcare professionals, bilateral development cooperation projects with partner country governments (e.g., Uzbekistan cervical cancer national screening program), medical resource donations, overseas emergency medical relief, and humanitarian healthcare support for overseas Koreans, foreign workers in Korea, and North Korean residents.

Product overview

Korea Foundation for International Healthcare (KOFIH) is a single institutional foundation rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The organization operates multiple international healthcare programs including the Dr. Lee Jong-wook Fellowship Program (a global training initiative for healthcare professionals supported by the IMSOHIT online platform), development cooperation projects for developing countries, medical resource support, foreign worker healthcare support, overseas emergency relief, North Korea healthcare support, and overseas Korean healthcare support. The IMSOHIT platform serves as the primary digital tool for managing fellowship training and alumni networks, while the Dr. Lee Jong-wook Memorial Prize is an annual award program recognizing excellence in public health.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Dr. Lee Jong-wook Fellowship Program Invitational training program for foreign healthcare professionals from partner countries covering clinical practice, public health policy, and health system management, delivered in collaboration with Korean medical institutions and managed through the IMSOHIT platform. Has trained 1,894 alumni from 36 countries since launch.
• International Healthcare Development Cooperation Projects Bilateral and multilateral development cooperation projects implemented with partner country governments covering national health system strengthening, disease-specific national programs, and policy advisory work. Example includes the Uzbekistan cervical cancer national screening program.
• Medical Resource Support Program Provision of donated medical supplies, equipment, and pharmaceutical resources to partner country health facilities and humanitarian contexts.
• Overseas Emergency Medical Relief Emergency medical response teams and humanitarian healthcare assistance deployed to overseas Korean citizens and partner populations during medical emergencies and disasters abroad.
• Overseas Korean Healthcare Support Program Healthcare services and medical support provided to Korean citizens residing overseas, addressing access barriers and medical emergencies in foreign countries.
• Foreign Worker Healthcare Support Program Healthcare support services for foreign migrant workers residing in the Republic of Korea, addressing language, cultural, and access barriers to medical care.
• North Korea Humanitarian Healthcare Support Humanitarian healthcare assistance and medical resource provision for North Korean residents, delivered through humanitarian channels to address population health needs.
• Dr. Lee Jong-wook Memorial Prize for Public Health Annual award co-hosted by KOFIH and the World Health Organization recognizing contributions to public health, commemorating the legacy of the late WHO Director-General.
• IMSOHIT Fellowship Management Platform Web-based integrated management system used to administer the fellowship program lifecycle, including application processing, training delivery, and alumni network management across 36 countries.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,894 healthcare professionals trained from 36 countries since 2007
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Cancer Center KoreacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Partnership for Uzbekistan Cervical Cancer National Screening Capacity Building Program (2025-2030). National Cancer Center develops educational curricula and shares Korea's national cancer management policy and screening system experience.
• Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey partner in Korea's ODA (Official Development Assistance) for international healthcare cooperation
• Ministry of Health and Welfare (보건복지부)coreOthersParent ministry providing policy direction and oversight for KOFIH's international healthcare programs
• International Vaccine Institute (IVI)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration in international vaccine and public health initiatives; Dr. Jerome H. Kim, Director-General of IVI, participates in KOFIH events
• Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for sharing Korea's health insurance review and assessment system experiences with developing countries
• National Health Insurance Service (국민건강보험공단)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for sharing Korea's national health insurance system experiences with developing countries
• Korea Health Industry Development Institute (한국보건산업진흥원)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration in health industry development programs
• Korean Surgical SocietyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for clinical experts training courses - fellows participate in Annual Korean Surgical Society congress (ASKSS)
• Ministry of Health of UzbekistancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment partner for Uzbekistan Cervical Cancer National Screening Support Project (2025-2030), including collaboration with National Mother and Child Healthcare Center, Oncology and Radiology Center, and Sanitary and Epidemiological Committee

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• USAID: U.S. government's primary international development agency, operating large-scale global health programs in maternal health, infectious disease, and health systems. Comparable as a bilateral donor executing multi-country ODA-funded health programs.
• JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency): Japan's largest bilateral development agency with a long-standing technical cooperation and training program for healthcare professionals across Asia and Africa. Functionally analogous to KOFIH at greater scale, including country-based fellowship and capacity-building programs.
• GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit): Germany's federal agency for international development cooperation, with a strong portfolio in health systems strengthening, health insurance advisory, and health workforce training across developing countries. Comparable in scope of bilateral health programming.
• Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO, UK): UK's merged foreign affairs and development ministry, funding large bilateral health programs including health workforce training. Comparable as a government-led bilateral ODA funder in global health.
• Expertise France / AFD (Agence Française de Développement): France's bilateral development finance and cooperation agency, with deep portfolios in health-system strengthening, hospital management, and health workforce training in Francophone Africa. Comparable mandate and operational model.

Emerging players

• FIES (Foundation for International Education in Neurological Surgery) / similar specialty health foundations: Specialized non-profit foundations delivering clinical training and capacity-building fellowships for healthcare professionals in developing countries. Comparable to KOFIH's fellowship-based model but in narrower specialties.
• International Vaccine Institute (IVI): Korea-based international organization focused on vaccine research and public health capacity building; listed as a KOFIH partner. Directly comparable headquarter location, multilateral health mission, and developing-country focus.
• Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation: Large philanthropic foundation with extensive global health grantmaking across infectious disease, health systems, and policy. Comparable to KOFIH as a non-state actor funding health capacity building in developing countries, though at vastly larger scale.

Direct peers

• KOICA (Korea International Cooperation Agency): Korea's primary bilateral ODA agency and KOFIH's named core partner. Directly comparable as a Korean government-funded international development agency delivering grant programs in developing countries, often co-implementing health-sector projects with KOFIH.

Others

• World Health Organization (WHO): Multilateral UN agency that convenes global health policy, including the WHA where KOFIH co-presents the Lee Jong-wook Memorial Prize. Comparable as a global health convener and standards-setter, though not a bilateral donor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/KOFIHGhana
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC0V_shUc0I5rjuplbR1vaBg
• Facebookko-kr.facebook.com/KOFIHODA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kofih
• Instagraminstagram.com/kofih_oda

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Korea Foundation for International Healthcare