koreaittimes.com. Medical tourism, which was selected as a new growth engine business in 2009, is growing by leaps and bounds. According to “the record of attracting foreign patients in 2011” announced in May by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the number of foreign medical tourists has increased by 49.5 percent, amounting to 120,000 compared to last year. The year-on-year total revenue of consultation fees reported by domestic medical institutions has also increased by 49.5 percent to KRW 189 billion. This shows that medical tourism is growing year after year. Soo-nam Jin, executive director of Medical Tourism Department of KTO, says, “Medical tourism based on the world’s best medical technology is boosting our economy and helping related industries. As a result, it is contributing to improving the overall image of Korea.”