Cho Jung-sik, Speaker of the National Assembly, met with Bill Gates, Chairman of the Gates Foundation, on August 14 to discuss strengthening partnerships with global health organizations, including the Gates Foundation. He emphasized that global health will be a key agenda in parliamentary diplomacy.
The two leaders held a closed-door meeting for about 35 minutes at the National Assembly. During the meeting, Cho stated, "I understand that the Gates Foundation has been making significant efforts to integrate AI into health, education, and agriculture. The National Assembly of Korea has also enacted the world's second AI Basic Law, which has been in effect since January of this year, and we are working to ensure that the benefits of AI are accessible to all, without inequality or exclusion."
This visit marks Gates' return to South Korea after a year, having previously visited in August 2025 to emphasize international cooperation in health. Cho noted, "The World Bio Summit will be held in Korea this October, and I have heard that the Gates Foundation will open an office in Korea by the end of the year. This will provide an opportunity for the National Assembly to further strengthen partnerships with global health organizations, including the Gates Foundation, and prioritize global health in parliamentary diplomacy."
In response, Gates expressed gratitude for the National Assembly's interest in global health and acknowledged Korea's contributions to global health initiatives. He added, "The foundation is currently building close partnerships with various Korean companies to prevent global pandemics, and I hope that our collaboration will deepen in the future."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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