Do not go gentle into that good night, old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light, though wise men at their end know dark is right, because their words had forked no lightning they, do not go gentle into that good night.
Busan to host 2026 Medical Tourism Fair next week
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By Jhoo Dong-chan
Busan Metropolitan City will host the "2026 Medical Tourism Business Fair" at Grand Josun Busan on Wednesday and Thursday, city officials said.
The event is designed to promote the strengths of the southern port city's medical sector and expand its base for attracting foreign patients, officials said Friday.
It is hosted and organized by the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI), a government-affiliated agency that promotes Korea's health and medical industries, and co-hosted by Busan, Daegu, Gwangju and Jeju, the four cities selected through a KHIDI open call.
This year's fair, being held in Busan for the first time, will bring in 16 overseas buyer companies from 10 countries, including Thailand, China, the United States and Mongolia.
On Wednesday, 41 Busan-based medical institutions and patient-referral agencies that treat foreign patients will hold one-on-one business consultations with the buyers, with memorandums of understanding expected to be signed to build new referral channels. On Thursday, participants will visit two major Busan medical institutions for a familiarization tour of their facilities.
Ahead of the fair, the city will hold a meeting Tuesday with the Ministry of Health and Welfare and KHIDI titled "Meeting of Busan Institutions for Attracting Foreign Patients," starting at 4:30 p.m. at the Grand Josun Busan hotel.
The meeting is meant to let the ministry hear firsthand feedback from local institutions as it develops policies to boost the foreign-patient attraction business in the regions. About 30 people, including representatives from leading medical institutions and referral agencies, are expected to attend to discuss policy improvements and cooperation measures.
The ministry said it plans to use the feedback gathered at the meeting to help draft its third five-year comprehensive plan (2027-2031) for supporting Korea's overseas medical expansion and foreign patient attraction.
The city said it expects the fair to help publicize the strength of Busan's medical tourism sector internationally and strengthen the foundation for attracting more foreign patients in the future.
"We will provide full support so the 2026 Foreign Patient Attraction Business Fair leads to real results," said Na Yoon-bin, director general of the city's Tourism and MICE Bureau. "We will also work closely with central government ministries and partner agencies to make sure frontline feedback is actively incorporated into policy."
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.