Mr. Shin Soo Choo, Major League Baseball player from Cleveland Indians received 2 days of acupuncture treatment by Dr. James Yoon, Chief Clinical Director of Jaseng Center for Alternative Medicine on April 30th and May 1st.

Mr. Choo missed the opportunity of full bases with no outs on the April 24th game versus Kansas City due to his left hamstring injury. He has been out for six consecutive games with leg injury. Mr. Choo was being treated by his team doctor and still experienced difficult time due to his leg not recovering properly.

Shin Soo Choo made an urgent call to Jaseng Center for Alternative Medicine, where he received treatment in Korea during his visit on December 2011. Dr. James Yoon flew from Los Angeles to Cleveland to provide urgent treatment to Mr. Choo.

After examining Mr. Choo, Dr. Yoon stated, “His overall balance was off, especially on the sacral joint, causing overstress on the spine and muscles around the legs. It is due to the successive game and lack of rest in between, besides the poor underlying conditions his left hamstring muscle is severely tight, which interferes with his movements, such as running.”

After the diagnosis, Dr. Yoon offered acupuncture treatment at his home. By use of MSAT(Motion Style AcupunctureTreatment), the pain around the thigh area and the motion of his knee and hip joints was controlled. Together with acupuncture and herbal medicine, these reduced the inflammation of the joints and strengthen the surrounding muscles. Herbal medicine was also prescribed to speed up the recovery and to prevent re-injury.

After the two days of alternative treatments, Shin Soo Choo was satisfied with the results. He stated, “I was very worried about the rest of the game since I am in so much pain. However, after the treatments, my pain is gone and the overall conditions got much better.”
As a professional sports player, there are possible risk injuries and Dr. Yoon provided tips of how to prevent or minimize injuries. Mr. Choo gained trust with Traditional Korean Medicine and commented, “Jaseng treatments always gave me a strong faith in that I can be recovered from the injury.”

Shin Soo Choo returned to his team and successfully completed his running test at the Progressive Field in Cleveland home stadium. He was confident about his health condition and is in the lineup for the next game.

Jaseng Center for Alternative Medicine has started a monthly event on “Medical Mission: Free Treatment Sunday” for Christian churches in Orange County. This Sunday event has began since February 2012, and the third event was scheduled on April 16, 2012. This free event will continue every month and will be rotated amongst several churches in Orange County. This is a great opportunity for people who are seeking medical consultation. Patients will be consulted by our Jaseng providers without the burden of financial constraint. This free service includes office consultation, acupuncture, chiropractic manipulation, or herbal medicine. In addition, Jaseng offers affordable treatment plans for those who are interested for follow-up care.

Throughout our monthly Medical Mission Day, Jaseng providers volunteer to better serve the community while offering the same level of treatment with limited time. During our Mission Day, we provide service for only 4 hours, treating 30-40 patients. This is the average amount of patients registered every month.

This medical event is scheduled once a month (on a Sunday afternoon) for 4 hours at our main office located in Fullerton. If you are interested or know of anyone that would like to register for our Medical Mission event, please contact us at info@jasengusa.com.

Good news for those who are suffering from allergies and rhinitis! Jaseng Center for Alternative Medicine can help with stubborn and annoying symptoms of Rhinitis.

Rhinitis is a medical term for irritation and inflammation of the mucous membrane inside the nose. Common symptoms of Rhinitis are; stuffy nose, runny nose, and post-nasal drip. The most common kind of rhinitis is allergic rhinitis, which is usually triggered by airborne allergens such as pollen and dander.

At Jaseng Center, clinicians will observe the mucosa linings in able to diagnose and treat with Oriental Herbal Medicine. Herbal balm is specially formulated to reduce the inflammation, promote blood circulation, stimulate the natural healing process and moisturize the mucosa linings. All natural herbal spray can help with the stuffiness and clearing of the nasal pathway. Last but not least, specially blended aroma essential oil can stimulate olfactory senses and help to breathe easier. Jaseng’s herbal therapy for rhinitis would be a great alternative for any chemical therapy such as antihistamine or steroid.

On February 13, 2012, Jaseng Center for Alternative Medicine announced in the City of Los Angeles the contract for medical sponsorship with PGA players including   K. J. Choi, the grand player in Korea.  This contract is significant due to the relationship of sponsoring not only to Korean players but to U.S. and international players by treatment of Korean Traditional Medicine.

The PGA playerswill receive services for office consult and medical treatments in any of Jaseng U.S. medical offices located in Fullerton, LA, San Diego, San Jose and Irvine.  In addition, treatments will also be provided in any of the 13 locations in Korea at anytime for the Year 2012. Jaseng Center will also offer on-site support for contracted PGA players during the Major PGA Tournament upon their request to prevent emergency injury and to keep healthy conditions during the season to obtain outstanding records.

Dr. James (aka Jepil) Yoon, the primary care provider for K.J. Choi stated, “Professional golfers are exposed to various sports injuries during the tournament seasons, but there is not a lot of recovery treatment in between for the players to access without disrupting their schedule. Korean Traditional Medicine is an effective way to treat the Spinal and Joint conditions for non-invasive ways and to optimize the overall body conditions for sports players.”

K.J. Choi commented, “I thank Dr. Shin and the treatment of Jaseng Center. When I slump down due to the injury in 2008, Jaseng Center treated me and I recovered to be back on track.” Mr. Choi also stated that he is very pleased to share this high standard Traditional Korean Medicine treatment that he has been receiving as well as his colleagues.  He also noted, “I am anticipating that Traditional Korean Medicine will play a major role in various U.S. sports fields including PGA.”

During the ceremony, James Yoon, L.Ac, Chief Clinical Director, introduced Jaseng’s non-invasive treatments for spinal and joint conditions and prevention care. Following the lecture, participating PGA players received Chuna manipulation and Acupuncture Therapy.  PGA players have already been interested in non-invasive methods of treatment for lower back conditions, which occurs frequently with golfers and have committed to have maintenance and preventive care by use of Traditional Korean Medicine even before the ceremony on February 13, 2012.

A Silent Auction was also held during the ceremony for charity. Personal belongings of K.J. Choi and other PGA players were auctioned and the monies will be donated to the Children in North Korea to prevent Tuberculosis.

Jaseng Center is the only Korean Traditional Hospital specializing in Spine and Joint conditions that is recognized by the Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare. Jaseng provides the utmost medical services through comprehensive staff education, continuous scientific research, and standardized treatment methods in all 18 centers in both Korea and USA.

We are very honored and proud to announce that Jaseng Hospital of Korean Eastern Medicine received top ratings for their doctor’s skills, excellent service and the hospital’s overall environment.

The Korea Consumer Agency surveyed 500 people who visited four major Oriental hospitals in the area of Seoul. The patients evaluated their treatment in regards to several criteria and Jaseng Hospital scored the highest with remarkable 6.70 points out of 7 for the doctor’s medical expertise.

Jaseng ranked first in adequacy of prescription and treatment, sufficient explanation of symptoms and treatment processes as well as in nurses’ patient care expertise and medical equipment.

Last but not least Jaseng received a top score of 6.51 points in the satisfaction of service quality of Oriental medical medicine category.

Olympia Medical Center has established a partnership with the Jaseng Center for Alternative Medicine which was endorsed by the Ministry of Family and Health Department in Korea. This collaboration is the very first between a traditional Korean medicine organization and a general hospital in the United States.

Through this collaboration, the Jaseng Acupuncturist will be listed as the Allied Health Professional Staff at Olympia and access the imaging center at the hospital which includes MRI, CT-Scan and other state-of-art imaging technology to provide one-stop treatment for patients.

X-men First Class

Dr. Shin’s healing power definitely puts him in the category of an X-man. Many famous channels abroad have broadcast him healing men and women who have trouble moving their arms, legs, and back due to great pains. All the pain is gone only in twenty minutes, and it isn’t just a make-believe story. How is this going to be explained scientifically? Perhaps studying how it all began is a good start. This X-man wasn’t born with this special skill. Born into an eastern medical doctor family of many generations, Dr. Shin also studied oriental medicine. His motivation to be the master of the spine, however, was triggered when he almost lost his beloved father. Tripping on the stairs gave his father a fracture, but the western medical doctor of the time diagnosed it as tuberculosis. After being on medication for a long time, his liver started to fail, which led to unconsciousness. When he was told he would live only for a week, his friend gave him fine herbal medicine from an eastern medical doctor. From a state where he was almost put in a coffin, he recovered fully and has lived six years more so far. Since his father as both eastern and western medical doctor was known for his specialty in spines, Dr. Shin too determined himself to be the master of the spine.

“My signature treatment, MSAT, stands for Motion Style Acupuncture Treatment. After long years of studying, I have taken the best from chiropractors of America, osteopathy of Japan, and chuna of China and formed my own way of treatment. I am a huge believer of self-healing power. My acupuncture treatment requires patients to move around for twenty minutes. Other than scoliosis, any other illness can be treated in twenty minutes,” eastern medical doctor Shin Joon-shik stated.

When Tradition met Science

Jaseng in Chinese character means self-healing. Jaseng Hospital of Oriental Medicine is a leading research-oriented hospital that pursues scientific and globalized oriental medicine. “In order to bridge the gap between oriental medicine and scientific understanding, Jaseng hospital is constantly collaborating with research teams and the universities all around the world. Our strength is in our excellence of non-surgical solutions through collaborative research with the Osher Institute at Harvard University Medical School, University of California Irvine, and many other renowned medical institutions,” the founder explained.

Raymond Royer, Doctor of Jaseng Hospital of Oriental Medicine, checks his patient
Recently, Dr. A. Daniel Jones visited Dr. Shin at the Jaseng Hospital from Michigan State University. Since his research area focuses on the biological indicators which affect the muscle and nerve cells, his visit to Jaseng Hospital was significant in applying for the American National Institutes of Health funding for “the effects of acupuncture treatment on spinal diseases and its cytogenetic research.” Dr. Jones witnessed Dr. Shin’s MSAT and expressed his great impression of the treatments’ rapid results for acute pain of the spine. Jaseng Research Team will fully cooperate with Dr. Jones’ new research topic, How the MSAT effects physical reactions due to stress. “I am so touched by all of the Jaseng medical staff who try their best to eliminate pain for the patient. I would love to find the way to extricate people across the globe from various diseases and pain through this unique MSAT treatment from Jaseng,” said Dr. Jones at his last visit.

Korean Traditional Medicine Goes Global

Dr. Shin’s signature treatment rather qualifies his as Korean traditional medicine rather than oriental medicine itself. “For the first fifteen years of my career, I treated 150 patients a day every day. These days, I only examine twenty patients per day and spend the rest of the hours reaching out to the community and to the world in terms of education and promotion. Not everyone believes in oriental medicine. That is why when I am often invited to television shows abroad. I have to show them what it is rather than explaining it to them. Many viewers in Vietnam, Russia, and Kazakhstan have seen my practice through their national television channel and had a better understanding of Korean acupuncture. I often visit universities in the States as well to give lectures. Students should learn different ways to treat patients and be fully be aware of every possible way that can help out the patient. This is why I educate, train, and share my technology free of charge,” Dr. Shin stated.

Dr. Shin, after twenty years of a medical career, now focuses more on sharing his knowledge and philosophy with many students around the world with genuine passion to heal and help others. He has given lectures and training at numerous universities abroad including the University of California Irvine Medical School and at Al-Azhar University Medical School in Egypt. Jaseng is presented as the most effective non-surgical treatment with proven scientific research at the American Pain Society and European Congress of Physical Rehabilitation Medicine in 2008. Compared to 2009, the number of visiting foreign patients has increased by 70% last year. The record is expected to increase once again this year. The founders’ efforts have grown Jaseng Hospital as an international clinic where medical practices are provided in multiple languages.

“In June, we demonstrated acupuncture treatments and presented our non-surgical spine treatment in Brazil as well. The head of our International clinic, Dr. Raimund Royer, represented the hospital and promoted medical tourism in Korea. We had some good reviews. Beyond training, we will continuously strive to take our strength to the next level in the global standard,” Dr. Shin said.

Official Medical Service Provider

Shin Joon-sik, Doctor of Jaseng Hospital of Oriental Medicine, gives Park Ji-sung, Korean footballer, a detail information about his Heath status
Many celebrities and the sports stars pay a visit to Jaseng Hospital to maintain their health. Jaseng Hospital provides medical support at the 2011 Asian Dream Cup, which was organized by the Park Ji-sung Foundation. Jaseng Hospital was designated as an official medical service provider at the 2011 Asian Dream Cup. Recently, the charity event was held on June 15, 2011 in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam to support young soccer players as well as to improve Southeast Asia’s education of football. Jaseng operated a medical service booth with accredited medical staff to care for the injuries and safety of the players. On the morning of the match, Park Ji-sung received treatment from Dr. Shin Joon-shik. There Dr. Shin checked up on Park’s previous injuries as well as his overall condition. “It’s so amazing that the pain disappears right after his treatment,” Park Ji-sung commented after being treated. Dr. Shin commented on this by saying, “We are a medical partner to the captain of the Korean soccer team, Park Ji-sung. I have often followed the sports players to their important games and treated them at the hotel before and during the games to keep them in the best condition.”

Jaseng Hospital of Oriental Medicine

The Ministry of Health, Welfare and Family Affairs recognized Jaseng Hospital of Oriental Medicine as the only hospital specializing in spinal conditions. Jaseng has its own medical system which consists of 15 branch clinics, 280 medical specialists, and in-patient facilities for patients coming from out of town or those with urgent medical care needs.

The hospital has state-of-the-art diagnostic resources such as MRIs to provide the best non-surgical treatment for spinal disorders. Jaseng is committed to providing the most effective medical care for patients by practicing native medicine in conjunction with western medicine.

He concluded by saying, “We have our clinics located in the city of Fullerton, which is nearby St. Jude Medical Center, one of the best hospitals in Orange County and Los Angeles. Starting with these branches, we will continuously seek for the ways to expand overseas so that the world can experience the impact of Korean Medicine.”

IT Times, in association with of College of Oriental Medicine, Kyung Hee University, will run a year series of articles titled ‘Globalization of Traditional Korean Medicine.’ In-depth stories relating to Traditional Korean Medicine will be provided from July 2011.

July 2011: Opening article in 12 parts- Introduction of Traditional Korean Medicine by Interviewing Kim Namil, Dean of Oriental College of Kyung Hee University (Published)
August 2011 : Outstanding Specialist–Shin Junshik, Doctor ofJaseng Hospital of Oriental Medicine (Published)
September 2011: Outstanding Specialist – Open demonstration of far-advanced cancer treatment (Prof. Choi Wonchol, oriental cancer clinic of Gangdong Oriental Hospital)
October: Outstanding Specialist – Prof. Yu Bongha, Presidential Practitioner of Oriental Medicine
November: Outstanding Specialist – Activities of Kyunghee University alumni
December: Outstanding Specialist (Kyunghee University alumnus)-Park Sangdong, Director of Dongseo Oriental Hospital
January 2012: The History of an Oriental medicine practitioner family
February 2012: Interview with leading scholars in oriental medicine
March 2012: Interview with the president of Association of Korean Oriental Medicine
April 2012: Interview with the chairman of Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine
May 2012: Dongui Bogam 400th anniversary project in 2013/ International Traditional Medicine Expo 2013 (co-hosted by Gyeongnam-do Sancheong-gun from September 10 to October 19, 2013)
June: State-of-art IT medical equipment

Raimund Royer, the medical director of the Hospital of Jaseng Oriental Medicine International Clinic and Korea’s first-ever and so far the only oriental doctor, was inspired to become an oriental medicine doctor because of a special experience he had here some 20 years ago.

The Austrian doctor first came to Korea on a three-month backpacking trip in the late 1980s.

“I’ve always wanted to come to and explore Asia. I chose Korea over Japan or China because I really didn’t know anything about the country,” he told The Korea Herald last week.

During his stay here, he learned Korean and taekwondo to have a true Korean experience. While playing taekwondo he once sprained his ankle, which led him to his first visit to a traditional herbal medicine shop.

Raimund Royer Chung Hee-cho/The Korea Herald

There, to Royers’ surprise, instead of going through a surgery or physical therapy, he was treated with acupuncture.

“The doctor applied acupuncture to random spots like my ear and hands. Although it felt weird at first, surprisingly, I found my ankle healed completely after two or three rounds of treatment,” he said.

The effectiveness of acupuncture was what primarily drew Royer into oriental medicine. But he said he also liked the atmosphere of herbal medicine shops — like the smell of herbs — as well as the concept of oriental medicine which is based on treating illnesses with “natural power.”

Royer decided to go to an oriental medicine university to become a certified doctor here despite his family’s opposition to the idea. Before coming to Korea, Royer studied economics in college and worked at an Austrian trading company for four years.

“The challenge started from then. Because I was a foreign national, no school would let me in, citing that they do not have the appropriate infrastructure and courses available,” he said.

With help from his Austrian friend in Daegu, Royer was able to enter Gyeongsan Hanny University which is now the Daegu Hanny University. Although learning Korean as well as Chinese characters to follow the course materials was challenging, Royer completed every step to become a doctor with perseverance.

Although he feels like a Korean after living here for such a long time, Royer has constantly been receiving attention from locals who were unfamiliar with seeing an oriental doctor with hazel eyes.

“While I was a resident at the Cha Hospital, I treated a lot of emergency patients. Most of them showed discomfort and fear saying that they do not speak English when they saw me at first, but they were okay as soon as they saw me speaking Korean,” he said.

As a foreign doctor of oriental medicine Royer has been showing expertise in treating expats in Korea.

“A lot of expats who hesitate to go to an oriental medicine hospital because of the language barrier come to me because I can treat them in English and German. Patients can only feel comfortable when their symptoms and conditions are completely understood by the doctor,” he said.

Royer said he has a lot of regular non-Korean female patients through word of mouth, including those who want to get acupuncture treatment before giving birth.

As the first and only foreign oriental doctor in Korea, Royer also feels a responsibility to globalize traditional Korean medicine.

“I do feel the burden on my shoulder. So, I’ve been writing English columns for Seoul Magazine and making media appearances to raise awareness overseas,” he said.

“But this (globalization of traditional Korean medicine) cannot be done by a person or a private organization. The government has to lead the move,” he said.

Royer emphasized the need for the government to establish an international oriental medicine university. The school can offer English curriculum for foreign students while functioning as a bridge to enable more active exchanges between local and foreign medical schools, he said.

Yet Royer said oriental medicine is no longer new to the global medical scene, citing Germany as an example.

“Acupuncture is already quite a commonly used treatment in Germany. Around 30,000 to 50,000 German doctors currently use acupuncture to treat patients. The number is even larger than that of total oriental medicine doctors in Korea,” he said.

But a more bankable and marketable way is to introduce herbal medicine to the world, Royer said. The European medical industry has already begun to use herbal medicine.

“The key for herbal medicine is that we have to prove the safety of the materials while modernizing it, like removing the unique smell of herbs,” he said.

Royer also stressed that traditional Korean medicine, though less known to the world than Chinese medicine, has a potential to do well globally — especially in the United States and Europe.

To make it, the country has to strongly appeal to the global market with a number of competitive advantages it has over Chinese medicine, he said. The list includes a more systematic educational curriculum, physical constitution classification methods and expertise in treating lumbar disc problems without surgeries.

It is true that foreign visitors can enjoy their Korean tour twice as much by combining sightseeing and medical care. Korea has built up an impressive one-stop infrastructure to serve tourists. The real issue is to attract patients to Korea where the medical aspect is more important than the tourist aspect. Medical tourism is a poor description for a growing global trend ― patients seeking medical treatment in other countries than their own. When someone is worrying about cancer, tourism is the last thing on his or her mind. Here Korea has an opportunity to excel, if it markets itself properly to the global medical community. A cancer patient does not just step onto a plane for Korea ― he needs to be advised by his healthcare provider to do so.

So does medical tourism belong to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, or Culture and Tourism? In 2009, 27 percent of medical tourists discovered about Korea’s specialty in medical tourism during their general-tourist visit to Korea. Most of the obstacles to Korea’s success lie on the many desks of the Ministry of Health and Welfare. But if we look for a government body that understands tourism as an integrated function, we should look to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

Korea fails to attract its share of general foreign tourists. Seven million foreign tourists came to Korea in 2009. France attracted 72 million tourist arrivals in 2009. Malaysia had 23.6 million foreign tourists in the same year. So, medical tourism could be considered as one of the options to rev up the travel business. The government goal is to have 400,000 medical tourists by 2015, and one-million by 2020. What strategy can Korea adopt to succeed in the heavily contested field of medical tourism, when it is under-performing in general tourism?

About 60,000 medical tourists came to Korea in 2009 compared with seven million tourists overall. They spent $54 million during their visit, or about $900 per patient, not so very much more than a general tourist. The aim should be to find high-value added tourists who combine medical treatment with the spending associated with tourism, airline fares, hotel fees, shopping and sightseeing.

In general tourism, almost half the tourists come from Japan, followed by the Chinese although arrivals of the latter are up 37 percent already this year. Behind the Japanese and Chinese come Southeast Asians and then Americans, includes ethnic Koreans, and then Europeans. When we come to medical tourism, it is the Americans who predominate. They made up 45.7 percent of tourists. Next came the Japanese, Chinese, Mongolians and Russians each with 5-7 percent in 2009. There are two main drivers for seeking treatment overseas, medical “tourism” because of price competitiveness, and medical “tourism” seeking unique treatments. Each driver can be divided into following categories:

Price competitiveness:

Diagnostic and testing

Basic treatment

Long-term care

Unique treatment:

Cosmetic and elective surgery

High skilled operations

New treatments and innovation

Price competitiveness

Attracting Americans to Korea where they can have a full course of tests and scans at a fraction of the price of the U.S. treatment, while having a holiday is correctly termed medical tourism. True medical tourism, tourism while being treated as a patient, is probably a niche within a niche. It saves the individual or the insurance company money to come to Korea even after the airfare and hotel expenses are taken into account. Figures commonly quoted in Korea states that it costs the average U.S. in-patient $3,782 at a general hospital, whereas the cost in Korea is only one thirteenth. But for the longer staying patients who have surgery, even if it is cosmetic, it is a different business.

Korea’s competitive advantage is in its diagnostic and testing services as it has state of the art equipment in larger hospitals, and low charges. You do not have to be sick to require an annual check-up, and this can be completed within a tourist’s schedule. Unlike other forms of medical treatment which have to be individualized, this can be standardized for large numbers of patients and is ideal for package tours. This business also offers an avenue for Korean non-life insurance companies and life insurance companies to expand their medical business overseas.

For almost any standard treatment, Korea will be competitive, whether it is heart surgery or elective surgery. A heart replacement valve operation costs only 21 percent of the U.S equivalent (a saving of $140,000) and a hip replacement 38 percent (a saving of $26,000). With these price differences, there is ample left over for airfare, top hotel and shopping for family members who come with the patient. In particular dentistry in Korea is a very high standard, and relatively inexpensive. Korea has the most advanced implanting procedures, teeth whitening, and gum care. Competitiveness is growing in ophthalmology and otolaryngology

Potentially Korea can provide long-term care for the chronically sick in attractive rural resorts with medical facilities attached – for example in Cheju ― and access to the best practitioners in the country when the chronic sickness becomes critical.

Cosmetic surgery

Beauty related services are probably the simplest to promote. The patients will be Asian, Korea’s prime existing general tourists. The country has been able to establish a unique position in the cosmetic surgery market. It is leading Asian countries in plastic surgery with its development of new technologies. There are strong synergies with the Korean Wave cultural movement which has been sweeping Asia for the last eight years. Asians from other countries want to look more like Koreans, and the Korean style of beauty

In general, cosmetic surgery is like a luxury good, not really price sensitive. Those who come behave like general tourists shopping for high-end fashion items. Such medical tourists usually stay 3-4 days or a maximum of a week. The figures for 2009 show that this market has barely been tapped, but also that despite its huge potential, it is not being marketed effectively, especially to the Chinese who will make up the majority of future general tourists in Korea.

When life is threatened, cost is not a consideration. Rather it is the quality of the surgeon, the anesthetist, the state of the art equipment, supply of drugs and quality of health care after the operation. Korea’s technology is outstanding in such critical fields as cancer treatment. Korea is strong in competitiveness in treating cancer. According to a 2009 survey conducted by the Korean Society of Health Promotion, Korea had the world’s best diagnosis for cancer, and it has one of the highest survival rates in the world, according to the Korean National Tourism Organization.

Korea needs to be a leader in other new treatments and unique treatments. The regulatory framework should be changed to allow their use. Stem cells probably carry the elixir of self-rejuvenation for many non congenital conditions. Stem cell treatment, in which Korean companies like RIO-BIO are world leaders, is classified by MOHW like a pharmaceutical treatment subject to clinical trials. In Japan and China, it is classified as a medical treatment that does not require clinical trials. Consequently while RIO-BIO can grow the patient’s stem cells in Korea, the patient must be treated off shore in Japan or China or the USA. So what could be Korea’s greatest asset, cannot be offered to medical tourists in Korea.

Korea is noted for its excellent clinical research and drug development infrastructure, world-class researchers, hospitals and facilities. It is already one of the leading countries in a clinical trial tests. Despite these advantages, Korea needs to implement more pro-innovative policies to encourage growth in the healthcare and bio-pharmaceutical sector. A conference on innovation held in Seoul recently was critical of the amount of regulation. If Korea wants to style itself as a leader in innovation, it is time for Korea to shape itself as one, Naveen Rao, regional medical director for Asia-Pacific at MSD Pharmaceuticals, told the participants.

From the aforementioned, it can be seen that Korea has advantages in all of the six areas of medical tourism, as well as in areas such as dentistry and oriental medicine. To succeed in attracting a large number of tourists there are four areas where the industry must change the market place. These four are:

Marketing

Building the basic infrastructure

Capacity building

Regulatory reform

Marketing

Korea fails to attract its fair share of general tourists compared with say – Malaysia. It does not lack natural beauty, heritage, good food or an exciting night life and good shopping. It is geographically located between two of the greatest sources of tourists in the world, Japan and increasingly China.

But it does lack good marketing. The image of Korea is a place of cars, crowded cities and good technology, and not of a good place for a holiday. Advertising by both individual cities and the KNTO is usually in the form that appeals to Koreans, and not to the foreign tourists they wish to attract.

When it comes to marketing medical tourism, there is a need for effectively communicating with foreign patients and healthcare providers whether in the medical or medical insurance worlds; the present quality is much lower. But the true problem for medical tourism is in marketing Korean medical expertise to the correct market segments, and here there is a lack of knowhow. The recognition of Korea as a center for medical tourism as well as for sightseeing needs to be established in the world’s medical community and not with tour companies.

Building the basic infrastructure

A one-stop service is available for visitors from the first moment they step into the airport, including Internet services, call center assistance, visa issuance, immigration, hospital information, tourism and accommodation or finding a medical coordinator. The Korean medical industry still has to improve its English, Japanese and Chinese language abilities to handle foreign patients, or hire nurses from these countries. Current regulations appear to block foreign registered doctors and nurses from practicing – even if they are Korean citizens with qualifications from another country

Alongside the infrastructure, new capacity is required. To cope with one million patients, entirely new hospitals will be needed and new staff engaged; a great engine of growth, but one which will push up the price of treatment. At the moment Korean hospitals are treating foreign patients at marginal cost, using their spare capacity, but when patients have to cover the full cost, will Korea still be cheap?

“Korea has the potential but government policy will have a role in how this potential can be harnessed,” Kim Choong-ho, managing director of Medtronics Korea told a recent conference. “Korea has neglected the importance of regulatory infrastructure. Reasonable, transparent and consistent regulations and meeting global standards are critical for industry development.” Korea has plenty of low- cost competitors such as Thailand, the Philippines and India, it cannot afford internal barriers, he added.

The struggle to set up foreign hospitals in Korea, in the FEZs of Incheon and the autonomous province of Cheju has been long lasting. The issue of being “for profit” and “not for profit” has been a major issue – fundamentally because Korea has an inadequate regulatory framework in every sector for the establishment of “not for profits” and “foundations” especially if they are foreign invested rather than because foreign medical establishments want to create pure profit organizations.

Medical tourism may fit Korea’s profile

Surveys of what tourists look for and their image of Korea show a tremendous mismatch. General tourists around the world look for relaxation, cultural and natural sights. But the global image of Korea is precisely that Korea is dynamic, technologically innovative and highly competent. These are qualities which a medical tourist is indeed likely to be seeking as part of the mix. Even so, the tourist usually imagines that after treatment, there follows relaxation in the sun, and not more technology and the stress of a modern city.

The aim is that 80,000 medical tourist arrivals in 2010 will rise at 16% per annum until it reaches one million in 2020. The earning from this industry will also rise so that this could become a $5-10 billion plus business, with potential spin-offs in telemedicine, new bio industries and other areas. However, it will remain a niche, earning less for the nation than the probable $20-29 billion dollars that may come from general tourism in 2020. The Chinese will certainly visit Korea in ever increasing numbers, but they need to value Korean medical practice. In this, traditional oriental medicine with a long history of more than 2,000 years, typified by herbal medicine treatment, acupuncture and chiropractic care may help.

Medical tourism and general tourism can support one another, there is no other engine of growth which can bring wealth to every corner of Korea.

Paul Casey (34 year old pro golfer from England) announces in his 2011 KGT Shinhan Donghae Open victory speech “I won the championship after taking Korean Eastern medicine treatment”.

 Paul Casey has experienced difficulties walking and to complete the finish position due to pain caused by inflammation for over two years. He made numerous efforts to cure his injuries with Western and Eastern therapies, even changing his golf shoes, but nothing seemed to improve his condition. Casey was extremely worried about not being able to participate in this tournament due to the severe pain. But then, renowned golfer K.J. Choi introduced him to Dr. Joon-shik Shin, the founder of Jaseng Hospital, who performed herbal acupuncture on him which enabled him to play to his full potential. 

After intensely treating Paul Casey, Dr. Joon-shik Shin diagnosed the golfer’s condition as follows:

“Casey was not able to properly utilize his foots’ entire strength during golf swings because of an ankle injury which caused inflammation in the big toe as well as pain in the area between the big toe and the sole of the foot. I could immediately see with my bare eyes that the right toe was swollen by 50% compared to his left toe.”

Dr. Shin proceeded by inserting acupuncture needles in the big toe and into the ligament of the ankle to immediately relieve the sensation of pain and discomfort. He also prescribed joint ointment which is highly effective in easing infections and Cheongwoongbaro pills which have an excellent nerve-regenerating effect on the bones and ligaments. Casey stated that “immediately after receiving Dr. Shin’s herbal acupuncture therapy, the pain almost receded completely and walking became more comfortable”. The golfer was thrilled and spared no compliments on the amazing effects of Jaseng’s herbal remedies. Casey’s suffered from his injury for more than two years, so naturally a onetime treatment cannot bring about a complete recovery. To ensure his further healing process Casey is scheduled to visit Jaseng Hospital’s LA branch after returning to the U.S. and to continuously receive Korean Eastern treatment such as acupuncture and herbal medicine.