President Lee Questions Minister Jung on 'Oriental Medicine Infertility Treatment'
"Some Regional Support Exists, but Objective Proof Is Difficult"
Association of Korean Medicine Expresses "Deep Anger", Medical Association Says "Immediate Suspension
During President Lee Jaemyung's ministry work briefing, Minister of Health and Welfare Jung Eun-kyung stated, "Oriental medicine is difficult to prove objectively and scientifically, and (for support) it must demonstrate effects that everyone can acknowledge." In response, practitioners of oriental medicine have protested.
On the 16th, when President Lee asked whether there is national support for oriental medicine infertility treatment, Minister Jung replied, "Some regions provide support," and made the aforementioned remarks. At the time, President Lee commented, "This is something the oriental medicine community asked me to inquire about," and also asked whether there were any government officials at the Ministry of Health and Welfare who were trained as oriental medicine doctors. Minister Jung responded, "There are about ten officials with medical licenses," adding, "There are none among the directors of national bureaus, but there is one section chief."
Minister of Health and Welfare Jung Eun-kyung stated, "Oriental medicine is difficult to prove objectively and scientifically, and (for support) it must demonstrate effects that everyone can acknowledge." In response, oriental medicine practitioners have protested.
On the 17th, the Association of Korean Medicine issued a statement, declaring, "We condemn Minister Jung's outrageous remarks and demand a sincere apology to both the couples struggling with infertility who have overcome or are overcoming it through oriental medicine treatment, and to the oriental medicine community." The association added, "For the Minister of Health and Welfare to disparage oriental medicine by denying the evidence for the clinical standard guidelines for infertility treatment, which were published by the Ministry itself, and to claim that 'objective and scientific proof is difficult,' is a baseless denigration characteristic of Western medicine practitioners. The oriental medicine community expresses deep anger and strong regret."
The association argued that Minister Jung's remarks were incorrect based on the Ministry of Health and Welfare's previously published "Standard Clinical Practice Guidelines for Infertility in Women." According to these guidelines, herbal medicine treatment for women with diminished ovarian reserve was rated as having a "B/Moderate" level of evidence. For women who had undergone assisted reproductive technology, acupuncture received an "A/High" rating, while electroacupuncture, moxibustion, and herbal medicine all received a "B/Moderate" rating.
The association stated, "All of these are treatments with sufficient evidence," and argued, "The Ministry of Health and Welfare has acknowledged that these are treatments with adequate evidence, as reflected in the criteria for selecting diseases covered by the ongoing pilot project for herbal medicine health insurance."
Based on this, it is reported that currently, 14 metropolitan governments and 72 local governments nationwide are conducting oriental medicine infertility support programs through local ordinances. The association also cited the example of Gyeonggi Province's oriental medicine infertility treatment support, which started with a budget of 500 million won in 2017 and is expected to increase to 972 million won in 2025. President Lee served as Governor of Gyeonggi Province from 2018 to 2022.
On the other hand, the Korean Medical Association's Special Committee on Oriental Medicine Policy assessed Minister Jung's response as "an implicit admission by the government itself that oriental medicine infertility treatment has not been sufficiently verified in terms of scientific evidence, efficacy, and safety." The committee stated, "There is no internationally recognized objective or scientific evidence for the efficacy and safety of 'oriental medicine infertility treatment,' and reliable clinical evidence is also lacking." They argued, "Allocating National Health Insurance funds or pursuing policies that appear to guarantee treatment efficacy at the national level creates false expectations among the public and may cause infertile couples to miss the opportunity to receive proven medical treatments at the appropriate time."
The committee further demanded, "The government and local authorities should immediately halt oriental medicine infertility support programs, and prioritize thorough verification, objective research, and transparent disclosure of all relevant data regarding these support programs."
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