South Korean authorities are planning on attracting over 300,000 overseas patients by 2015, by developing a medical city as part of its efforts to compete in the international medical tourism field.

A budget of US$830 million has been set aside for the development of the Jeju Healthcare Town, which is anticipated to become a North Asian medical hub. The South Korean government intends to use this medical city to compete with market leaders India, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.

The medical city will consist of three areas - the Wellness Park featuring various health improvement and relaxation services, the Medical Park providing high-quality specialised treatment services and the R&D Park, which will be a medical research and development complex.

According to the Korea Tourism Organisation, the number of medical tourists seeking treatment in South Korea has doubled between 2008 and 2009, and in 2010, there were 81,789 medical tourists, an increase of 36% from 2009.

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