A director of a medical institution in Jeju has been caught illegally attracting foreign patients in collusion with unregistered Chinese travel agents.
The Jeju District Prosecutors' Office's Criminal Division 3 announced on the 8th that it has indicted A (48), the chief representative of a medical clinic in Jeju, and B (51), the managing director, without detention on charges of violating the law related to overseas medical expansion and support for attracting foreign patients. It also indicted C (42), an accomplice who is an unregistered Chinese travel agent, for violating tourism promotion laws without detention.
A and B are accused of illegally receiving introductions of foreign patients from C (42) and D (42), all Chinese nationals, from Aug. 30, 2023, to Sept. 20, 2024, in exchange for paying a commission of 10 to 15% of the medical fees.
It was found that A and B received introductions for 17 foreign patients from C and D, knowing that they were not registered as foreign patient attraction agents, and collected a total of 1.08 billion won in medical fees while paying 12.5 million won as commission. A, B, and C have been indicted without detention; however, D fled to China during the investigation and is currently at large.
The clinic run by A and B has received 660 million won in medical fees from foreign patients through unregistered agents over the past two years, which is six times the amount collected (115 million won) through officially registered agents. According to the Overseas Medical Expansion Act, attracting foreign patients without registration can lead to imprisonment for up to three years or a fine of up to 30 million won.
The prosecution noted, "As COVID-19 quarantine measures have been lifted, the number of foreign patients using domestic medical institutions is increasing," adding, "With the recent surge of Chinese tourists visiting Jeju, where visa-free entry is possible, unregistered Chinese tour operators are illegally attracting foreign patients, primarily in dermatology and plastic surgery clinics in the region."
It emphasized that if such incidents continue to occur, there will be side effects such as tax evasion through cash payments, excessive medical treatment, and disruption of medical order, and that in the event of medical accidents, foreign patients may find it difficult to receive compensation.
The prosecution stated, "We will respond strictly to unregistered attraction activities so that foreign patients using medical institutions in Jeju, which allows visa-free entry, can receive safe and high-quality medical services."