Legal changes attracting more int’l patients

Korea is becoming a popular medical tourism destination for foreigners after a law allowing Korean hospitals to market services to foreigners took effect last May.

With the law’s passage, medical institutions can team up with travel agencies specialized in medical tourism to promote their services. In the past, Korean medical institutions were banned from marketing medical treatment to non-residents and travel agencies were forbidden to coordinate with hospitals to help foreigners travel to Korean hospitals and clinics.

The legal changes increased the number of international travelers seeking medical treatment here, with 55,000 paying visits from January to November of last year. Only 15,000 did so in 2008.