Do not go gentle into that good night, old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light, though wise men at their end know dark is right, because their words had forked no lightning they, do not go gentle into that good night.
Korea marks decline in new annual HIV infections
A promotional leaflet highlighting government resources and support for HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis. Courtesy of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency
By Jhoo Dong-chan
New human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections in Korea fell below 1,000 last year, continuing a modest downward trend even as health officials track a rise in cases among foreign residents and a growing number of long-term survivors over age 65.
According to the annual report released Tuesday by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), 927 individuals were newly diagnosed with HIV in 2025. This marks a 4.9 percent decrease from the previous year.
Among the newly diagnosed, Korean nationals accounted for 659 cases (71.1 percent), while foreign nationals made up 268 cases (28.9 percent). While local transmissions dropped, the share of foreign nationals among new diagnoses increased by 2.2 percentage points year-on-year. This demographic shift was particularly stark among female patients. Out of 105 newly diagnosed women, 80 percent were foreign nationals. Meanwhile, men accounted for the vast majority of new infections overall (822 cases), with nearly 78 percent being Korean nationals.
The cases remain heavily concentrated among younger generations, with individuals in their 20s and 30s making up 66 percent of all new diagnoses. The KDCA also noted a single case of mother-to-child transmission last year.
Epidemiological tracking revealed that transmission was almost exclusively driven by sexual contact, which accounted for 99.1 percent of responses among the 529 patients who answered. Within that group, 62.6 percent identified same-sex contact as the route of transmission, a figure that remains largely consistent with data from the previous three years. Intravenous drug use accounted for the remaining 0.9 percent.
While annual new transmissions are slowing, the cumulative number of people living with HIV/AIDS in Korea rose to 17,557, up from 17,022 the previous year. Reflecting broader national trends, this population is graying rapidly. The number of patients aged 65 and older reached 2,294 — accounting for over 13 percent of all surviving patients, a nearly one percentage point increase in just one year.
KDCA Director Lim Seung-kwan emphasized that the government will continue to aggressively push its five-year prevention strategy, which runs through 2028. This includes expanding access to preexposure prophylaxis — daily preventative medication that blocks HIV infection — and lowering barriers to early testing.
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.