Mobilizing Public Health in South Korea: NMES (National Malaria Eradication Service) and its Legacy, 1945–1969

If South Korea has attracted considerable attention for its perceived success in health efforts in recent years, previous explanations have relied heavily on cultural or essentialist accounts. This paper examines the specific strategies, language, and pedagogy the ROK (Republic of Korea) government used to market itself to the Korean public, especially rural villages, following the Korean War. Specifically, the focus rests on the formation of the NMES (National Malaria Eradication Service) in the early 1960s, seeking to deal with the wartime rise in malaria cases. Transforming itself from an outside force to a more familiar partner, South Korean public health represents a recent phenomenon, and depends heavily upon the participation of citizens / villagers to function properly.