Jung Min-ho has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2012, mostly covering social and political issues. He currently belongs to the Politics & City Desk where he covers topics such as health, labor and human rights. Prior to joining the team, he was responsible for covering North Korea and sports. His article about a biosecurity breach of Middle East respiratory syndrome won him an award from the Korea Science Journalists Association in 2016. He is also the co-author of the book, "Medical Pioneers of Korea" (2019). He served as the head of the international relations committee at the Journalists Association of Korea from 2021 to 2023.
Korea to host 2027 conference on animal testing alternatives
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By Jung Min-ho
Korea is set to host an international conference in 2027 on advancing animal testing alternatives in research and education.
According to the state-funded National Institute of Food and Drug Safety Evaluation on Friday, the 14th World Congress on Alternatives and Animal Use in the Life Sciences will take place at COEX in southern Seoul from Aug. 15 to 19 in 2027.
The congress will be held in Asia for the first time in 20 years since Tokyo hosted the event in 2007. About 3,000 experts in the field and businesspeople are expected to visit the Korean capital during the period, officials said.
The World Congress is a biennial event designed to bring the world together to advance the “replacement, reduction and refinement” of animal use in the life sciences.
The Korean organization said its monthslong efforts to bring the event here with lawmakers and experts in the bio industry came to fruition on Feb. 6 when Seoul was announced as the next location.
In a statement, the institute said hosting the event would be a great opportunity for Korea to promote its expertise in the area and strengthen ties with other nations for the common goal of creating a better environment for ethical scientific research.