Bill Gates Tells SoKor Solons: Your Help Needed To Lick COVID

Billionaire and philanthropist Bill Gates, in a recent address to South Korea's legislature, expressed hope that the country can make a big contribution to global efforts to battle the coronavirus pandemic and prevent future ones, Kim Jaewon Kim reported for Nikkei Asia.

Photo Insert: Bill Gates is applauded by Korea's legislature.

"This is a crisis moment for global health," Gates said in a speech to the National Assembly. "So this is also a fantastic time for our foundation to strengthen the partnership with South Korea, providing great ideas for new tools and more resources to help those most in need. We need to end this pandemic and prevent this from happening again."

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation was a founding member of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovation (CEPI).

The group aims to expedite the development of vaccines to snuff out epidemic and pandemic threats. It also promotes creating vaccines aimed at providing broad protection against coronaviruses.

South Korea has provided financial support to the group, according to CEPI's website.

Gates reminded South Korean lawmakers that their country received international aid after the 1950-53 Korean War and urged them to play a bigger role in global health.

"As you increase that generosity to match your economic success, the world's 10th-largest economy, you'll be able to have an incredible impact with partnerships like our foundation and multilateral global health organizations," Gates said.

South Korea's SK Bioscience last week began producing the country's first COVID-19 vaccine for domestic use. The drug company has also applied for approval of the vaccine from authorities in Europe and the UK.

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