[News Today] Traditional K-medicine goes viral

[LEAD]

Traditional Korean medicine is continuing to evolve. From the use of advanced medical devices to new products, its applications are steadily expanding.

And riding the global K-culture wave, efforts are also underway to take it further onto the world stage.

[REPORT]

In the Netflix animated film 'Kpop Demon Hunters'.

the main character visits a traditional Korean medicine clinic when she loses her voice.

Since the film's release, people's interest in traditional Korean medicine has been growing steadily.

The Seoul K-medi Center saw the number of foreign visitors more than double compared to before the streaming of 'Kpop Demon Hunters'.

Riding the trend, the main theme of a recent traditional Korean medicine fair was 'industrialization'.

Cutting-edge medical equipment replaced traditional acupuncture needles and drugs.

The fair introduced a great variety of traditional Korean medicine, expanding from treating ailments to cosmetic purposes.

Han Dong-hwa / Traditional Korean Medicine Doctor

This year, great progress was made in traditional K-medicine’s beauty industry. I tried and compared it with my equipment.

Not only local companies but those from other parts of Asia showcased their future-oriented traditional medicine products.

The government had set a goal of increasing the sales of the traditional Korean medicine industry to KRW 20 trillion or more than USD 13.5 billion by the year 2030.

The state will establish an R&D support system for traditional Korean medicine and improve plans to attract more overseas patients and help traditional Korean medicine excel in the global market.