🚨 Telemedicine Legalization

Today Korean Social News for Beginners | 2025.12.03

0️⃣ 15 Years of Medical Law Reform and the Future of Remote Healthcare

📌 Telemedicine Legalized After 15 Years… Medical Law Amendment Passes National Assembly

💬 Telemedicine, which was temporarily implemented during COVID-19, has been institutionalized through medical law reform after 15 years. On December 3, 2025, the National Assembly passed a medical law amendment allowing telemedicine. This amendment maintains in-person visits as the principle, but allows telemedicine at clinic-level medical institutions for returning patients with the same symptoms within a certain period. Medicine delivery is only permitted for limited groups including residents of medically underserved areas, people with disabilities, and rare disease patients. The government plans to establish detailed standards through enforcement decrees and regulations, including the scope of telemedicine, platform certification standards, and patient safety measures. While the medical community welcomes strengthened patient safety, they worry about excessive regulations hindering technological development. Patient advocacy groups anticipate improved medical accessibility.

💡 Summary

• Telemedicine has been institutionalized through medical law reform and is now allowed for returning patients.
• Medicine delivery is limited to medically vulnerable groups, considering safety and equity.
• Platform certification system strengthens patient protection and medical quality management.

1️⃣ Definition

Telemedicine refers to a medical service method where doctors and patients conduct consultations without meeting in person, using information and communication technologies such as phone calls or video communications. Also called remote medical care or remote consultation, it gained legal foundation through the 2025 medical law amendment.

Telemedicine is divided into two main types. First, telephone consultations where doctors check patient symptoms and prescribe through voice calls. Second, video consultations where doctors can directly observe the patient's appearance and condition through video calls. With this medical law amendment, telemedicine is allowed only for returning patients who have previously received in-person consultations, while first-time patients must receive in-person consultations in principle.

💡 Why Is This Important?

• Can significantly improve medical accessibility for residents of medically underserved areas and patients with mobility difficulties.
• Can reduce patients' economic burden by saving hospital visit time and costs.
• Can lower transmission risks by minimizing face-to-face contact during infectious disease outbreaks.
• Without proper safety measures and quality management, misdiagnosis and side effects may occur.

2️⃣ Background and Main Contents of Telemedicine Legalization

📕 History of Telemedicine Introduction

• Institutionalized after 15 years of discussion. Key timeline includes:

  • The first medical law amendment was proposed in 2010 but failed due to medical community opposition.
  • Temporary telemedicine was permitted during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
  • More than 30 million telemedicine consultations were conducted during the COVID-19 period.
  • The government began actively pushing for legalization from 2023, but discussions were delayed due to medical strikes.
  • In December 2025, the medical law amendment was finally passed through bipartisan agreement in the National Assembly.

• COVID-19 became a catalyst for system introduction. Key background includes:

  • Medical gaps occurred for patients who hesitated to visit hospitals due to infection concerns.
  • Temporary telemedicine greatly helped chronic disease patients and returning patients.
  • Both medical staff and patients experienced the effectiveness of telemedicine.
  • However, as the temporary permission period ended, consensus formed on the need for institutional foundation.

📕 Main Contents of Medical Law Amendment

• In-person principle and returning patient restriction are key. Main contents include:

  • In-person consultation is specified as the basic principle of healthcare, with telemedicine defined as a complementary tool.
  • Only returning patients who received in-person consultations for the same symptoms within a certain period (specific period to be determined by enforcement decree) can receive telemedicine.
  • First-time patients must receive in-person consultations, and only subsequent return visits allow telemedicine.
  • Telemedicine is permitted centered on clinic-level institutions (clinics, dental clinics, oriental medicine clinics), while establishing dedicated departments in large hospitals is prohibited.

• Medicine delivery is limited to medically vulnerable groups. Main targets include:

  • Residents of medically underserved areas such as islands and remote areas can receive medicine delivery.
  • Long-term care benefit recipients and registered persons with disabilities are also included in medicine delivery targets.
  • Patients in special situations such as infectious disease confirmed cases and rare disease patients can also receive medicine delivery.
  • General patients must in principle visit pharmacies in person to receive medicines.

• Various safety measures for patients are established. Main safety features include:

  • Doctors must limit prescription days and types of medicine if they cannot sufficiently understand the patient's condition.
  • Narcotic prescription is completely prohibited in telemedicine.
  • Patient identity verification and consultation consent procedures become mandatory.
  • Doctors can switch to in-person consultation at any time if necessary and must recommend this to patients.

📕 Platform Regulation and Management System

• Certification system introduced for telemedicine platforms. Main contents include:

  • Telemedicine intermediary platforms above a certain size must receive government certification.
  • Operating uncertified platforms is prohibited and violations are subject to punishment.
  • Platforms cannot recommend or guide patients toward specific medical institutions.
  • Advertising or encouraging specific medicines or treatments is also prohibited.

• Public support system construction is planned. Main directions include:

  • The government will build a public telemedicine support system to safely manage medical records and patient information.
  • An information sharing system between medical institutions will be established to prevent duplicate prescriptions and drug interactions.
  • Infrastructure will be supported prioritizing medically underserved areas to resolve regional medical disparities.
  • Educational programs for patients and medical staff will be operated to help the system settle in.

💡 Key Issues in Telemedicine Legalization

1. Medical Safety: Limited information compared to in-person consultations creates possibility of misdiagnosis
2. Medicine Delivery Restrictions: Potential equity controversy as only some patients receive benefits
3. Platform Regulation: Concerns that excessive regulation may hinder technological innovation and industry development
4. Medical Polarization: Possibility of strengthening large hospital-centered medical use
5. Personal Information Protection: Need for safe management of medical information and health data

3️⃣ Expected Effects and Challenges of Telemedicine

✅ Positive Expected Effects

• Medical accessibility greatly improves. Main effects include:

  • Elderly people and persons with disabilities with mobility difficulties can conveniently receive consultations at home.
  • Residents of medically underserved areas can receive specialist consultations without traveling long distances.
  • Dual-income couples and office workers can save hospital visit time and focus on economic activities.
  • Chronic disease patients can receive regular return consultations more easily, improving disease management.

• Medical cost reduction and efficiency increase are possible. Main benefits include:

  • Can reduce transportation costs and time costs for hospital visits.
  • When patients with minor illnesses and returning patients use telemedicine, medical institution congestion decreases.
  • Medical staff can efficiently manage simple returning patients and focus more on severe patients.
  • During infectious disease outbreaks, can reduce hospital visits and ease healthcare system burden.

✅ Challenges to Resolve

• Ensuring medical safety is the top priority. Main measures include:

  • Clear telemedicine guidelines must be established so medical staff can safely conduct consultations.
  • In case of misdiagnosis or side effects, responsibility must be clarified and compensation system established.
  • Medical staff education must be strengthened to enable accurate diagnosis even in remote situations.
  • Patient monitoring system should be introduced to respond quickly when abnormal signs occur.

• Bridging the digital divide is necessary. Main challenges include:

  • Elderly people and vulnerable groups often find it difficult to use smartphones or computers.
  • Government and local governments should support digital device distribution and education.
  • User-friendly platform development with simple operations is necessary.
  • Various access methods such as telephone consultations should be provided to broaden choices.

• Expansion of medicine delivery should be reviewed. Main discussion points include:

  • Currently medicine delivery is only allowed restrictively, requiring many patients to visit pharmacies in person.
  • Methods to expand delivery scope while ensuring pharmacists' medication counseling role are needed.
  • Management systems to prevent drug misuse and duplicate prescriptions must be supported.
  • Gradually expanding targets while monitoring side effects is desirable.

4️⃣ Related Terms Explanation

🔎 Telemedicine

• Telemedicine refers to overall medical services using information and communication technology.
  • Telemedicine refers to medical acts where doctors and patients, or doctors and doctors, exchange medical information and perform consultations, counseling, education, etc. using information and communication technology. Remote consultation is one form of telemedicine.
  • Types of telemedicine include: First, doctor-patient remote consultation (telemedicine). Second, doctor-doctor remote consultation where specialists support primary care doctors. Third, remote monitoring that tracks patient health data in real-time. Fourth, mobile health (mHealth), health management services through smartphone apps.
  • Korea has long prohibited doctor-patient remote consultations, but will allow them restrictively through this medical law amendment. However, doctor-doctor remote consultation is already permitted, allowing primary care institutions to receive advice from specialists at tertiary hospitals. While telemedicine has effects of improving medical accessibility and reducing medical costs, safety and personal information protection remain important challenges.

🔎 Returning Patient

• Returning patient means a patient who has previously received in-person consultation.
  • A returning patient refers to a patient who has already received in-person consultation from a doctor at least once, with medical history and symptoms identified. A first-time patient is receiving consultation for the first time, with the doctor not knowing enough about the patient's condition.
  • This medical law amendment only allows telemedicine for returning patients. The reasons are: First, first-time patients need direct face-to-face physical examination and detailed questioning by doctors. Second, returning patients already have identified medical history, making safe telemedicine possible. Third, regular return visits for chronic disease patients or minor illnesses are often sufficient remotely.
  • However, even returning patients must switch to in-person consultation if symptoms worsen or new problems arise. Specifically, how many months of in-person consultation history is needed to be recognized as a returning patient will be determined by enforcement decree. Generally, within 3-6 months is considered appropriate.

🔎 Medically Underserved Area

• Medically underserved area means regions where accessing medical services is difficult.
  • Medically underserved area refers to regions where residents find it difficult to use medical services due to lack of medical institutions or long distances. The Ministry of Health and Welfare designates and supports medically underserved areas through laws and notices.
  • Criteria for medically underserved areas include: First, geographically isolated areas such as islands and remote regions. Second, areas with low population density lacking hospitals or having very few. Third, areas where travel time to medical institutions exceeds 30 minutes are also included. Fourth, areas with poor emergency medical accessibility are also classified as medically underserved.
  • Telemedicine is an important means to ease medically underserved area problems. Medicine delivery is also permitted prioritizing residents of medically underserved areas, allowing them to receive medicine without long-distance travel. However, telemedicine alone has limitations, requiring various policies including public hospital expansion, medical staff dispatch, and mobile clinics to be pursued together.

🔎 Platform Certification System

• Platform certification system is a system ensuring safety of telemedicine intermediary platforms.
  • Platform certification system refers to a system where the government grants certification when online platforms intermediating telemedicine services meet certain standards. Operating uncertified platforms is prohibited.
  • Certification standards include: First, personal information protection and security systems must be established. Second, identity verification systems for medical staff and patients must be equipped. Third, safe storage and management of medical records must be possible. Fourth, response systems for emergency situations must be prepared.
  • Prohibited platform activities include: First, recommending or guiding toward specific medical institutions. Second, advertising or encouraging specific medicines or treatments. Third, receiving financial consideration from medical institutions and giving preferential treatment. Fourth, using patient information without permission or providing it to third parties is also subject to punishment. The government plans to also build a public telemedicine support system to operate in parallel with private platforms.

5️⃣ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: When can I start using telemedicine?

A: Available after enforcement decrees and regulations are established following promulgation of the medical law amendment.

• Bills passed by the National Assembly officially take effect after presidential promulgation. Usually there is a grace period of 6 months to 1 year after promulgation before implementation. For telemedicine, it is expected to take some time as there are many details to be determined by enforcement decrees and regulations. The government stated it is preparing with a target implementation in the first half of 2026.
• Specifically, standards for returning patients (in-person consultation history within how many months), prescribable medicines and prescription days, platform certification standards, medicine delivery scope, etc. will be determined by enforcement decree. The government plans to establish reasonable standards by collecting opinions from the medical community, patient groups, and experts. In the early implementation stage, a method of pilot projects to supplement problems before full expansion is being considered. Patients who want to use telemedicine can check implementation timing and usage methods through the Ministry of Health and Welfare website and media reports.

Q: How much does telemedicine cost?

A: Health insurance applies the same as in-person consultations, but specific fees are not yet determined.

• The government's position is to apply health insurance to telemedicine to minimize patient burden. However, whether telemedicine consultation fees will be the same as in-person consultations or differentiated is not yet decided. Generally, since telemedicine has limited physical examination, fees lower than in-person consultations are likely to be set.
• Additional costs may include medicine delivery fees. Medically vulnerable groups can receive delivery free or cheaply with government support, but if general patients use medicine delivery, they may need to bear delivery fees. Platform usage fees are expected to be free or cheap when using certified public platforms, but private platforms may charge separate fees. Specific costs will be finalized during health insurance fee negotiations and enforcement decree establishment.

Q: What diseases can be treated through telemedicine?

A: Regular return visits for chronic diseases and minor illnesses are main targets, excluding emergency situations or first consultations.

• Diseases suitable for telemedicine include: First, regular return visits for chronic diseases like hypertension and diabetes. When symptoms are stable and medicine prescription is needed, telemedicine is convenient. Second, return visits for minor illnesses like colds and allergies are also possible. If symptoms are mild and in-person examination is unnecessary, telemedicine is sufficient. Third, skin diseases can also receive telemedicine for return visits as external appearance can be checked through video consultation.
• However, many cases are not suitable for telemedicine. First, first-time patients must receive in-person consultation. Second, emergency situations like acute abdominal pain or chest pain require immediate hospital visit. Third, diseases requiring physical examination or imaging tests need in-person consultation. Fourth, cases requiring surgery or procedures are also impossible through telemedicine. Doctors can switch to in-person consultation at any time if they judge telemedicine inappropriate, and patients can also request in-person consultation at any time.

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