Jeon Man-bok, assistant minister for planning and coordination at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, has become a member of the executive board of the World Health Organization, officials said Monday.

Jeon, 53, will represent the West-Pacific region for the United Nations’ public health arm and will participate in its decision- and policymaking processes. The board members are given a three-year term and requested to attend meetings twice a year, the ministry explained.

The technocrat is qualified with a wide range of experience in public health and international cooperation in humanitarian aid.

He worked as a desk officer at the WHO’s division of Emergency and Humanitarian Action between 2002 and 2004 and took other key roles such as director of public health and insurance policy.

Jeon said he would like to contribute to the WHO’s initiatives on ensuring universal access to quality and affordable health services.

“I think I could play a part in developing the WHO’s framework on universal health coverage because it shares common ground with the Korean government’s recent welfare plans such as expanding state support for patients with four major diseases,” he said in an interview with The Korea Herald.

The Park Geun-hye government plans to offer free medical services, along with other health benefits, to patients suffering from cancer, cerebrovascular and cardiac disorders and terminal illness.

The assistant minister added that as Korea has already reached a relatively high level of public health care compared to the United States and China, the country can play a crucial role in sharing its know-how with other member countries.

By Cho Chung-un (christory@heraldcorp.com)