Jeju to Revoke License for Korea's 1st For-Profit Hospital

Published on 2019/03/10 | Source

Construction of Greenland International Hospital in Jeju is complete in this file photo from October 2018.

The Jeju provincial government is bent on revoking a controversial license to build Korea's first for-profit hospital after Greenland International Hospital failed to open on time. Provincial officials plan to question hospital staff before canceling the license.

Greenland International Hospital was granted its license on Dec. 5 with a proviso to open within 90 days, but since it did not, the license can be revoked.

The hospital sent a letter to the provincial government on Feb. 26 seeking an extension of the deadline citing a change of plan. But Jeju officials say the hospital refused to allow inspectors on the property as they tried to discover the reason for the delay.

Chinese real estate developer Greenland Group got the go-ahead from the central government in December 2015 and the hospital was set to open in Seogwipo in the southern part of the island.

The aim was to attract well-heeled medical tourists with plastic surgery and other non-essential services.

The license was given to the hospital provided it admits only foreigners, but the hospital opposed the idea, saying that it will be unable to reject domestic patients without good reason and filed a lawsuit last month.

The hospital recruited about 130 staff, but due to the year-long delay only half of them remain available.