Thailand Strengthens Vaccine Sovereignty with South Korea Talks
Joint Thai-Korean discussions aim to enhance domestic vaccine production and healthcare financing at APEC summit
Thailand’s Public Health Minister, Pattana Promphat, accompanied by Permanent Secretary Somrerk Chungsaman and senior ministry officials, joined Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul in attending the National Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Economic Leaders’ Week held in the Republic of Korea from October 29 to November 1, 2025. During the visit the delegation met with South Korea’s SK Bioscience as well as officials from the Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare, including the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service and the National Evidence‑based Healthcare Collaborating Agency, to advance Thailand’s vaccine security and broader health-system reforms.
The Thai government is pursuing a national strategy of vaccine self-reliance, aiming to diminish its dependence on imports by upgrading the Government Pharmaceutical Organization (GPO) and building domestic manufacturing capacity.
The bilateral talks with SK Bioscience focused on technology transfer, local production of influenza and future-pandemic vaccines, and the creation of a regional vaccine hub based in Thailand.
This effort builds on earlier cooperation between Thailand’s GPO and SK Bioscience to localise cell-culture influenza vaccine production.
Previously signed memoranda envisage Thailand becoming a vaccines-supply centre for Southeast Asia.
In addition to manufacturing, the discussions covered healthcare financing, universal health coverage and health-technology assessment methods.
The Thai delegation explored reforms in payment mechanisms for providers, service-coverage standards under national health insurance, early-access review frameworks, safety-monitoring systems and the application of information and communications technology to public-health policy and research.
Both Thai and Korean officials emphasised capacity-building for health-workforce development and evidence-based policymaking.
The engagement reflects Thailand’s broader ambition to strengthen its preparedness for future outbreaks and enhance its health-security posture.
With global vaccine supply chains increasingly under strain, the south-east Asian nation is positioning itself as a manufacturing and innovation centre—anchored by trusted partnerships such as that with SK Bioscience and the GPO.
This move also signals a deeper alignment in healthcare cooperation between Thailand and the Republic of Korea.
The Thai government is pursuing a national strategy of vaccine self-reliance, aiming to diminish its dependence on imports by upgrading the Government Pharmaceutical Organization (GPO) and building domestic manufacturing capacity.
The bilateral talks with SK Bioscience focused on technology transfer, local production of influenza and future-pandemic vaccines, and the creation of a regional vaccine hub based in Thailand.
This effort builds on earlier cooperation between Thailand’s GPO and SK Bioscience to localise cell-culture influenza vaccine production.
Previously signed memoranda envisage Thailand becoming a vaccines-supply centre for Southeast Asia.
In addition to manufacturing, the discussions covered healthcare financing, universal health coverage and health-technology assessment methods.
The Thai delegation explored reforms in payment mechanisms for providers, service-coverage standards under national health insurance, early-access review frameworks, safety-monitoring systems and the application of information and communications technology to public-health policy and research.
Both Thai and Korean officials emphasised capacity-building for health-workforce development and evidence-based policymaking.
The engagement reflects Thailand’s broader ambition to strengthen its preparedness for future outbreaks and enhance its health-security posture.
With global vaccine supply chains increasingly under strain, the south-east Asian nation is positioning itself as a manufacturing and innovation centre—anchored by trusted partnerships such as that with SK Bioscience and the GPO.
This move also signals a deeper alignment in healthcare cooperation between Thailand and the Republic of Korea.
