보건복지부 영문홈페이지

Korea Targeting to be a Medical Tourism Hub in Asia,
Attracting 700,000 International Patients in 2027

 

- Announcement of 「Strategy to Facilitate Attraction of International Patients」 –

- Immigration procedures will be improved, and country-specific strategies will be implemented to facilitate attraction of international patients -

 

<Summary>

 

On May 29 (Mon.), the Ministry of Health and Welfare (Minister Cho, KyooHong) announced the “Strategy to Facilitate Attraction of International Patients,” developed jointly with the relevant ministries.

 

The number of international patients who visited Korea for medical treatment in 2022 increased by 70.1% to 248,000 from 146,000 in 2021, which is a figure rebounded to the level of 50% of 2019 that stood at 497,000 before the global spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

Under the “Strategy to Facilitate Attraction of International Patients,” four major strategies have been developed with the goal of attracting 700,000 international patients in 2027. The four major strategies include ▲ improving immigration procedures, ▲ reducing patient concentration in certain regions and medical departments, ▲ enhancing competitiveness of industries involved in attracting international patients, and ▲ raising the global profile of Korea’s medical services.

 

2nd Vice Minister Park Minsoo plans to visit Chosun University Hospital** in Gwangju Metropolitan City on May 30 (Tue.) to listen to opinions on ways to promote the regional industries involved in attracting international patients* while offering his encouragement.

 

* Hospitals where 78.2% of international patients visiting Korea in 2022 received medical treatment are concentrated in Seoul, Gyeongi-do, and Incheon.

** A total of 8,992 international patients had visited Korea from 33 countries from 2009 to 2022.

 

2nd Vice Minister Park emphasized, “Attraction of international patients has a significant ripple effect on other areas of economy, including tourism.” He added, “The government plans to forge ahead quickly with the Strategy to Facilitate Attraction of International Patients to deliver the full-fledged effect of the government policy to the related areas and improve the policy by communicating on a regular basis.” ///