The Liaison Office for East Asia was inaugurated at a ceremony in Seoul on 5 October attended attended by Director General, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Hee-Joo Choi, the Acting President of the National Health Insurance Corporation Mun Deok Han, ISSA Secretary General Hans-Horst Konkolewsky and representatives of social security organizations from the Republic of Korea, the People’s Republic of China, Japan and Mongolia – all countries with which the office will work – as well as from several Pacific countries.

“The countries in East Asia are diverse in terms of types of their social security schemes, administrative challenges and financial situation,” Mr. Konkolewsky stated at the opening.

“However, many issues related to questions of administration, service quality, adequacy and the broader development towards more proactive and preventive social security approaches constitute common challenges for all organizations. The establishment of a new ISSA office can provide a privileged platform for analysis and exchange of expertise in key areas of social security administration among countries in East Asia and beyond,” he said.

The new office is the latest in a series of initiatives by the ISSA to strengthen outreach and services to its member organizations at a regional level, among organizations which are often faced with common challenges and priorities.

The ISSA Liaison Office for East Asia will be hosted by the National Health Insurance Corporation of the Republic of Korea, which has been a member of the ISSA since 1980. The NHIC is noted for having implemented universal national health insurance coverage for the population in just over a decade, an objective that was achieved in 1989. In recent social protection reforms in the country, health-care coverage has been supplemented by long-term care insurance, to ease the financial burden on family caregivers.

Administrative and operational efficiency and effectiveness

The opening of the Liaison Office will be followed by a Technical Seminar on administrative and operational efficiency and effectiveness, with contributions from senior managers of ISSA member social security institutions in East Asia and the Pacific. The seminar will analyse key developments and national practices in social security management and administration, including, for example, the integration of health insurance funds, and improved data capture and customer services.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Website of the ISSA Liaison Office for East Asia >>