President Park Geun-hye pledged Tuesday to inject $100 million over the next five years to help 13 poor countries combat infectious diseases.

Park said South Korea's financial support will begin next year. 

South Korea "will make utmost efforts to ensure that many people in those countries can have a hope toward a better future by living a secure life free from the threat of infectious diseases," said Park in a welcoming dinner for delegates of the Global Health Security Agenda.

The global health summit, launched last year, is designed to help create a world safe and secure from infectious disease threats. South Korea and the United States are among the 44 member states of the GHSA.

The 13 countries are Ghana, Ethiopia, Jordan, Cambodia, Laos, Uzbekistan, Peru, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast and Mali. (Yonhap)