The Korean and Swedish health authorities on Thursday agreed to join hands in tackling low birthrates and problems stemming from an aging society.

They also shared understanding in the development of dementia vaccines and elderly people-friendly commodities.

During his four-day visit to Stockholm from Wednesday, Health and Welfare Minister Rim Che-min and his Swedish counterpart Maria Larsson decided to develop a memorandum of understanding in the entire field of health and welfare and annualize a joint forum on low birthrates and aging.

“Under the MOU framework, a regular governmental consultation can be established. We will pursue a joint project in the pharmaceutical industry for dementia treatment,” Rim said in a key note speech for the first forum of its kind on Thursday.

Rim noted that the healthcare cooperation between Korea and Sweden dates back to early 1950s during the Korean War.

“Back then, it was a unilateral Swedish assistance for Korea. Now I believe we can pursue mutually beneficial collaboration, not only in the area of low fertility and aging, but also in the entire field of health and welfare,” he said.

By Bae Ji-sook (baejisook@heraldcorp.com)