Human antibiotic use in Korea in 2023 was 1.6 times the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) average. Antibiotics are used to treat infectious diseases. When antibiotic resistance develops, treatment can fail or deaths can increase. The government plans to manage the misuse and overuse of antibiotics not only among people but also in the agriculture, livestock, and fisheries sectors.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said on the 25th that, together with seven ministries including the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Ministery of Food and Drug Safety, it has drawn up the Third National Antibiotic Resistance Management Plan (2026–2030). Under the Infectious Disease Prevention and Control Act, the government establishes an antibiotic resistance management plan every five years.
The more antibiotics are used, the more resistance develops. As of 2023, human antibiotic use in Korea was 31.8 DID (defined daily doses per 1,000 inhabitants per day). The OECD average was 19.5 DID. Korea's antibiotic use was the second highest among OECD countries after Greece.
For methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a major antibiotic-resistant bacterium, the resistance rate in 2023 was 45.2%. That is higher than the global average resistance rate of 27.1%. In the livestock sector as well, domestic antibiotic sales and resistance are relatively high.
To prevent misuse and overuse, the government plans to expand the antibiotic stewardship program (ASP). In ASP, infectious disease specialists and pharmacists form teams to monitor and intervene in patients' antibiotic prescriptions. It is currently a pilot at some medical institutions, and it will be expanded to general hospitals with 301 or more beds by 2027 and be institutionalized around 2028.
In addition, by increasing vaccinations and other measures to reduce the occurrence of infectious diseases, the need to use antibiotics will be reduced. To prevent the spread of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales, known as superbugs, local governments will lead and operate an infection control response system.
All antibiotics will be allowed to be used only through prescriptions by veterinarians and aquatic animal disease control officers, and the system will be adjusted accordingly. By providing guidelines for vaccine use against infectious diseases such as porcine epidemic diarrhea, farms' dependence on antibiotics will be reduced.
To strengthen the capacity to respond to antibiotic resistance, the government will support research and development (R&D) for diagnostics and therapeutics. The disease agency said, "We will manage the problem of antibiotic resistance based on inter-ministerial cooperation and public participation."