President Lee to Meet WHO Chief... Discuss International Cooperation on 'Basic AI Healthcare'

First visit to South Korea since Tedros took office as WHO director-general
Visit coincides with the World Bio Summit
Sharing the vision of the "San Francisco AI Declaration"
Strengthening cooperation on AI and bio workforce development

President Lee Jaemyung will meet with World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on the 21st to discuss ways to expand access to healthcare using artificial intelligence (AI) and strengthen international health cooperation. The meeting will provide an opportunity to introduce to the international community President Lee's "AI Basic Healthcare Strategy" and explore ways to work together to extend the benefits of medical innovation to countries around the world, drawing on South Korea's AI and biotech capabilities.

President Lee Jaemyung speaks during a Cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae on Oct. 20, 2026. Yonhap News.

According to Cheong Wa Dae, President Lee will meet with Director-General Tedros at Cheong Wa Dae this afternoon. Tedros is visiting South Korea to attend the 2026 World Bio Summit, which will be held in Seoul on Oct. 21-22. This is his first visit to the country since taking office as WHO director-general in 2017.

During the meeting, President Lee is expected to present the vision of the "San Francisco AI Declaration" and the government's "AI Basic Healthcare Strategy." In particular, he plans to express his intention to work closely with the WHO, using the Global AI Hub and the Global Bio Human Resources Hub to ensure that the gains from healthcare innovation are shared around the world rather than remaining within specific countries.

The meeting comes as medical innovation using AI technology and efforts to close healthcare gaps have emerged as major priorities for the international community. With the government identifying the expansion of basic healthcare services through AI as a key policy direction, cooperation with the WHO is also expected to feature prominently on the agenda.

This year's World Bio Summit, jointly hosted by the South Korean government and the WHO, will be held at the COEX Magok Convention Center in Seoul under the theme "Spreading Biohealth Innovation through AI." The event will discuss ways to turn advances in AI technology into healthcare innovation and extend its benefits to the international community.

Director-General Tedros became the first person from Africa to lead the WHO in 2017 and won a second term in 2022. He has focused on strengthening international health rules for responding to infectious diseases, including leading efforts to adopt the Pandemic Agreement at last year's World Health Assembly.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.