Healthcare Experts Call for Regulatory Reforms to Advance Precision Medicine and Patient Care in South Korea
核心洞察
South Korean and U.S. healthcare experts urged regulatory reforms aligned with global standards to support sustainable growth and improve patient care at an AMCHAM seminar in Seoul.
Local doctors emphasized that precision diagnostics and treatment, including genome testing for advanced lung cancer (搜索) patients, are urgently needed but currently hindered by regulatory barriers.
Experts called for legislation specifically addressing corneal transplants, noting that access is restricted by regulations treating corneas like other human tissue.
Healthcare experts from South Korea and the United States called for regulatory reforms aligned with global standards to support the sustainable growth of South Korea's healthcare sector and improve patient care. The calls were made during an annual healthcare innovation seminar hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea (AMCHAM) in Seoul, which brought together about 150 senior government officials, business leaders and healthcare experts from both countries.
Participants emphasized the need for greater alignment with global policy standards amid ongoing discussions between the two countries over regulatory competitiveness and non-tariff barriers.
Precision Medicine in the Era of AI
Local doctors highlighted the importance of precision medicine in the era of artificial intelligence (AI). "Precision diagnostics and treatment are urgently needed in disease care," said Lee Ji-beom, a professor specializing in lung cancer (搜索) at Yonsei University Hospital. She cited genome testing for advanced lung cancer patients with metastatic disease as an example, saying precision testing is necessary but currently difficult to implement because of regulatory barriers.
"Precision technologies have the potential to make a significant contribution to improving treatment outcomes for cancer patients in South Korea and advancing innovation in new drug development," said Kim Doo-sik, a healthcare investment ombudsman.
Regulatory Barriers to Corneal Transplants
Other experts called for regulatory improvements for patients awaiting cornea transplants, saying access is currently restricted by regulations that treat corneas in the same way as other human tissue. Michael Titus, chief operating officer of Eversight (搜索), a U.S.-based nonprofit eye bank, called for legislation specifically addressing corneal transplants.
From Reform to Execution
The seminar, held under the theme "From Reform to Execution: Building a Predictable Healthcare Innovation Ecosystem," focused on turning recent policy changes into improved patient access, technological advances and new investment. Discussions centered around three priorities: implementing pharmaceutical pricing reforms announced by the Health Ministry in late 2025, strengthening Korea's vaccine ecosystem, and establishing policy frameworks for AI-enabled healthcare and precision medicine.
Lee Hyung-hoon, second vice minister of health and welfare, said in written remarks that the government would shorten reimbursement approval times for rare disease (搜索) treatments and strengthen outcomes-based assessments of their value. "We will also continue working closely with the private sector to ensure that companies investing in R&D and technological innovation are appropriately rewarded," Lee said. He added that Korea's AI healthcare strategy would support innovation in prevention, treatment and emergency care while bringing domestic regulations into closer alignment with international standards.
Kang Cheong Hee, president of the National Health Insurance Service, said the agency would strengthen disease prevention and health management while embracing advances in treatments, medicines, AI and data.
"South Korea has made meaningful progress on healthcare reform. The priority now is to translate that progress into tangible results through implementation that is predictable and transparent, expands patient access and supports continued innovation," said AMCHAM Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) James Kim.
Bristol Myers Squibb (搜索), Eli Lilly and Company, Eversight (搜索), Guardant Health, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, MSD (搜索) and Pfizer partnered with AMCHAM for the seminar.