Ministry of Health and Welfare Approves the 5th Comprehensive Plan for the Promotion and Development of Korean Medicine
The government will introduce a Korean medicine primary care physician system for seniors to expand care through Korean medicine in response to the super-aged society.
The Korean Medicine Promotion and Development Deliberation Committee held by the Ministry of Health and Welfare on the 19th. Ministry of Health and Welfare
On December 19, the Ministry of Health and Welfare held the Korean Medicine Promotion and Development Deliberation Committee and deliberated and approved the 5th Comprehensive Plan for the Promotion and Development of Korean Medicine (2026-2030), which centers on these measures.
The Ministry plans to establish a business model for Korean medicine primary care physicians in the first half of next year. After pilot projects and evaluations, the full-scale program is scheduled to be implemented in the second half of 2029.
The government will also expand the provision of information such as customized Korean medicine health management guidelines for climate-vulnerable groups affected by heatwaves, cold waves, and fine dust. In addition, it will consider establishing a collaborative system between Western and Korean medicine for medical care during large-scale disasters.
Measures for digital transformation, including the development of "Korean Medicine AI," were also discussed. The government plans to develop technology to analyze unstructured Korean medicine data, such as medical interviews, and to establish a coding system for Korean clinical terms, connecting Korean medicine data to the "Health Information Highway," a national medical data exchange platform.
Digital health promotion programs tailored to the growth and development stages of children and adolescents will also be developed. AI-based Korean medicine care services for frailty and chronic diseases will be created and linked to integrated medical and long-term care services.
The government will also work to expand the overseas presence of Korean medicine. It will strengthen support for startups, product commercialization, and promotion related to Korean medicine by small and medium-sized enterprises, and provide up to 100 million won for technology development to companies transferring technology.
A specialized industrial classification system for Korean medicine will be developed, and a fact-finding survey will be launched. Support will be provided for the overseas expansion of Korean medicine clinics and products, as well as for training Korean medicine experts for international organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and establishing a comprehensive roadmap for Korean medicine official development assistance (ODA).
In addition, to localize the supply of herbal medicine ingredients, which have relied on imports, the government will secure new varieties and develop cultivation methods using new technologies.
Lee Hyunghoon, Second Vice Minister of Health and Welfare, stated, "We will drive substantial change by innovating Korean medicine based on AI," adding, "We will cooperate with related organizations and relevant ministries to ensure the 5th Comprehensive Plan is faithfully implemented."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
