President Moon Jae-in announced a plan to elevate the nation's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) to an administration in order to strengthen its expertise and independence.
 
The president revealed the plan on Sunday during a televised special speech marking the third anniversary of his inauguration.
 
Moon said that the KCDC, which has led the country's anti-virus efforts, will be upgraded to the Disease Control and Prevention Administration, adding it will be staffed with more experts to make up for any insufficient provincial capabilities.
 
The president also said the government will seek to establish a system for two vice ministers within the Ministry of Health and Welfare with the National Assembly's approval.
 
In addition, the president vowed efforts to establish hospitals specialized in treating infectious diseases and a national infectious disease research center.
 
The president then called for the National Assembly's swift cooperation in relation to these tasks, noting that the nation needs to significantly enhance its public health care system to prepare for the second epidemic wave that experts predict will hit this fall or winter.