Ministry Blocks Chinese Firm’s Plan for Hospital in Jeju Island

Written by Seoul TouchUp. Posted in Medical Tourism Korea

Being one of the top medical tourism destinations in Asia, the metropolitan city, Seoul is a favourite for many reasons: its major palaces, its show of traditional, cultural and artistic attractions, its jijimbangs, beauty emporiums and its modernization – it opened itself to the outside world since the late 19^th century and became the first city to have trolley cars, railways and telephones.

Since ‘Gangnam Style’ hit the internet and got worldwide recognition and appreciation, beauty enthusiasts have coined a new term, “gangnam plastic surgery”. Since the revival of K-POP and the rise of the Korean Wave, people from neighbouring countries in Asia especially Chinese tourists have been flocking to Seoul for treatments and cosmetic surgery.

But, it’s unusual to mention Jeju island in such conversations; don’t get me wrong, it’s a beautiful tourist hot spot spanning 1,846 sqkm; it also has the tallest mountain in South Korea, a dormant volcano that rises 1,950m above sea level and the best beaches unmatched by any other provinces. But, it’s not every day that you’ll hear of plans to build a hospital on the island.

You might have heard of it now: China Stem Cell HEALTH Group, or CSC, were planning to build the Shaner Hospital & Health Care Center.

Unfortunately, this plan has been scrapped.

You can read more about it over at the Korea Herald, who has undoubtedly reported last Monday that South Korea’s Health ministry has blocked the Chinese firm’s plan to build the nation’s first foreign-based, hospital on Jejudo Island.

For all those curious, the short version is this: the CEO of its parent company, Tianjin Huaye Group, was arrested with connection to fraudulent loans.

“We have concluded that the firm is not capable as an inestor due to its financial instality as well as the arrest of its chairman,” the ministry said in a statement. “The firm also did not have an adequate plan for the hospital’s emergency facilities, which is one of the mandatory requirements.”

Just a heads up. For all those who had planned to travel to Jeju island for treatments at this hospital, turn back! You might have to make new plans now.

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Hotels Partner with Korean Medical Clinics

Written by Seoul TouchUp. Posted in Medical Tourism Korea

To get Gangnam plastic surgery in modern day Korea, especially in Seoul is a humongous task. There are over five hundred clinics to choose from, and what’s more, hotels to pick – hopefully one with a convenient location. However, now, you can consider this problem solved.

According to the Korea Times, hotels are partnering with medical clinics. Some noteworthy examples are The Imperial Palace Seoul’s medical center, which is located on the third floor – connected to an outdoor area that comes close to a traditional Korean garden.

 

 

With the advent of medical tour packages that includes free stays at hotels, one can save both time and trouble.

“It’s in a hotel, so I feel the service is different,” a patient by the name of K. Choi had told The Korea Times, “In an ordinary clinic, I feel nervous when machines go off with a loud noise. Here I do not have to worry about it. Each room is separate. I have a better sense of privacy. Also, the clinic is a one-stop shop, which is good for busy patients like myself.”

 

Another fine example is The Lotte Hotel in Sogong-dong, also located in Seoul as well as The Ritz-Carlton. One thing to note though, is when it comes to price -- you’ll have to consider that perhaps it is cheaper to book appointments and services separately.

The year before, there were 211,218 people who visited Korea to receive medical treatment. Among them, 56,075 were from China, 32,750 were from America and 24,026 were from Russia. Will the numbers wane in the following years and Korea will be replaced by an altogether better location for beauty purposes? Maybe, but last year, the Korea Herald still regarded Seoul as the cosmetic surgery capital of the world.

Would you opt for a hotel and beauty treatment offer? Is it killing two birds with one stone? Why, or why not? Leave a comment below!

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What’s New in 2014 With Medical Tourism in South Korea

Written by Chelsea Kim. Posted in Medical Tourism Korea

South Korea has an export-oriented economy, from high-tech manufactured products such as machinery, automobiles to LCD devices and of course, their kimchi which can be found in most Asian grocers around the world. There’s also K-POP, a huge part of modern Korean culture.

But let’s not overlook their medical export, after all, they have some of the best plastic surgeons in Korea; according to plastic surgery statistics, surgeons in Korea are 1.7 times more experienced than Taiwan, 6.9 times more experienced than Thailand and 17 times more experienced than that of China.

With the highest number of cosmetic procedures per 1,000 population in 2013, South Korea continues to thrive as one of the most popular destinations for beauty vacations in Asia.

As reported by BusinessKorea, “The phenomenon has not gone unnoticed by the Korean government. It is working to revamp the Korean medical system to boost the promising business sector.”

In 2014, Jung Ho-wan, the director of the Division of Global Healthcare at the Ministry of Health and Welfare has said, “To attract overseas patients, we try to improve medical laws and systems to allow domestic insurance companies to invite foreign patients, develop promotional materials to publicize the excellence of Korean medical services, invite state-supported foreign patients through inter-governmental cooperation, secure a channel for settling direct payment transactions with global insurance companies, determine international medical treatment fees, and run reporting centers for illegal brokers. “

There have been cases of death in Korean plastic surgery, where illegal medical brokers were involved.

Fortunately, South Korea is looking to continually improve their medical services. As Jung-Ho-wan has said, “In one word, we are engaged in enhancing market transparency and reliability.”

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Medical Tourism in South Korea: Beware of Illegal Brokers Who Overcharge You

Written by Chelsea Kim. Posted in Medical Tourism Korea

 

They have some of the best street food; the warm, gooey and sweet dessert pancake, hotteok comes to mind. When travellers think of Seoul, they may think of massive lip emporiums, snail mucus face masks, jijimbang (sauna) and endless markets also known as shopping havens, that await them. But Seoul is also well-known for many a traveller for its range of cosmetic surgery options. After all, Seoul is one of the top 3 medical tourism destinations in Asia. Recent plastic surgery statistics show that South Korean plastic surgeons are 1.7 times more experienced than Taiwan, 6.9 times more experienced than Thailand and 17 times more experienced than China. Besides the love for K-POP and Korean media, medical tourism in South Korea is booming in Asia!

These beauty treatments or procedures don’t come cheap, indeed. You may have heard that this is especially the case for foreigners. Does South Korean plastic surgery cost double the amount for foreigners? If you’ve ever wondered that and want an answer, watch the video below:

 

There have been cases of death where the patient had engaged with an illegal cosmetic surgery broker. But that is not all, according to the video, “Prices for operations on foreign customers can be 500% higher than local prices.”

As reported by the Korea Herald in 2013, “foreigners clamor to go under the knife in cosmetic surgery capital” – and as you can see, there are many reasons why it is unwise to get plastic surgery done through an illegal broker.

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South Korea Medical Tourism in 2012: More Chinese than Americans Enter the Country for Beauty Purposes

Written by Chelsea Kim. Posted in Medical Tourism Korea

In 2012, a whopping 32,503 tourists from China had entered South Korea; this made up 20.4% of all medical tourists to enter South Korea. Other countries that have made major contributions to South Korea’s medical tourism industry include: America, Japan, Russia and Mongolia that have made up 19.2%, 12.4%, 10.3% and 5.3%, respectively. The Chinese have indeed overtook America as the largest group of medical tourists to enter Korea in 2012 – a continuation of the prosperous years for South Korea’s economy.

The growing middle class in China as well as Japanese, who are looking for a bang for their buck, had flocked to South Korea. Reading a short introduction to South Korea medical tourism will tell you that the beauty standard in Korea is growing on others in neighboring Asian countries as well as beyond, where popular requests include double eyelid surgery amongst other such procedures.

A few decades ago, South Korea’s affluent Gangnam district was one of the least developed areas. This is in stark contrast to what it is now -- one of Asia’s hottest destinations for cosmetic surgery and beauty purposes.

In 2010, Korean plastic surgery statistics show that a total of 80,000 tourists had entered South Korea for medical purposes.

Furthermore, according to a report by The Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHID), South Korea’s cosmetic surgery industry tops the charts amongst all other medical services; the number of foreign tourists soared from 2,851 in 2009 to 15,898 in 2012. With an annual growth rate of 77.3%, it is estimated that by 2020, a whopping 1,000,000 patients will enter South Korea for medical services – as stated by the report.

Disclaimer: (The picture above was derived from the blogosphere and is not associated with Seoul TouchUp)

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