韩国拟设1万亿韩元医药生物基金并开放医疗数据

The Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) will create a 1 trillion won "mega-fund" to help Korea's pharmaceutical and biotech industry become a global top-five player. The ministry also selected 30 national flagship technologies in the healthcare sector for intensive support starting in the second half of this year. It will also build an integrated hub to manage the full cycle of medical tourism, with a goal of attracting 3 million foreign patients.
Health and Welfare Minister Jung Eun-kyeong announced these plans on the 16th while delivering the "2026 Second-Half Presidential Policy Report" at Cheong Wa Dae. The ministry will create and invest the mega-fund by next year to drive the pharmaceutical and biotech push into the global top five. The plan calls for creating a 900 billion won fund this year, including a "Phase 3 Clinical Trial-Specialized Fund," and adding a 100 billion won fund next year.
The ministry selected "30 National Flagship Healthcare Technologies" to respond to future social changes and secure a decisive lead, and will provide intensive support beginning in the second half of this year. Through government-led clinical research, it will also establish a foundation for bringing advanced regenerative medicine treatments, such as those for knee osteoarthritis for which patients currently travel abroad, into the country.
To achieve its goal of attracting 3 million foreign patients, the ministry will build a "K-Healthcare Integrated Hub" by next year to manage the entire cycle of foreign patient care, from pre-consultation to post-treatment follow-up. Non-face-to-face treatment for foreign patients with short stays in Korea will begin in May next year.
The ministry will also expand access to healthcare data, which the industry has long sought for purposes such as artificial intelligence (AI)-driven drug development. Genomic and bio-big data built by the National Bio Big Data project will be opened to domestic researchers in November this year. In addition to data from 10 public institutions including the National Health Insurance Service, clinical data from three national university hospitals — Chonnam National University, Kyungpook National University and Pusan National University — will be opened by the end of the year, and the data-use review procedures will be streamlined.
The ministry will also use AI to eradicate fraudulent health insurance claims by medical institutions. Next month it will conduct a planned investigation into false health insurance claims, while from November this year it will use AI to continuously monitor medical institutions with a high likelihood of improper claims. When fraud is detected through the planned investigation, effective penalties will be imposed, including business suspension of up to one year and fines of up to five times the improperly claimed amount.
The ministry will also expand the range of household medicines sold at 24-hour convenience stores and ease the criteria for sales outlets to improve access to medicines. Currently, only 11 household medicines — such as antipyretic painkillers, cold medicines and digestive aids — can be sold at 24-hour convenience stores. Based on analysis of public demand and expert consultation, the ministry will expand this range to up to 20 items by December this year. In areas without pharmacies or convenience stores, the ministry will improve regulations so that household medicines can also be sold at retail outlets that do not operate around the clock.