South Korea — Healthcare: Major Hospitals

Key facts

• The ministry designated 47 institutions as tertiary general hospitals for the 5th cycle, running from 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2026, out of 54 applicants.
• Three were newly designated: Catholic University St. Vincent's Hospital, Konyang University Hospital and Kosin University Gospel Hospital.
• A tertiary general hospital is defined as a general hospital specialising in difficult medical procedures for severe illness, with designation renewed every three years after evaluation of staffing, facilities, equipment, treatment and education.
• The required share of severely ill patients among inpatients rose to 34% or more from 30%.
• From January 2024, designated hospitals must keep round-the-clock inpatient systems for pediatrics and obstetrics/gynecology, and violations can lead to corrective orders or loss of designation.

Steps

1. Finding major hospitals in South Korea — This information may be available through online directories or hospital websites, although this author is not aware of any one reliable source.