# Korea Patient Rights Guide

> Korea Patient Rights Guide explains how medical disputes are mediated and arbitrated in Korea, in English and Korean, from the law and the public bodies that run the process. It does not give legal advice and does not refer anyone to a lawyer or a medical institution.

## About the publisher

- Publisher: Korea Patient Rights Guide (https://kpatientrights.org/)
- Nature: It is not a law firm, a public agency or a medical institution. It gives no legal advice, carries no advertising or affiliate links, and does not refer anyone to lawyers, claims adjusters or medical institutions.
- Other language: https://kpatientrights.org/ko (한국 의료분쟁 안내소)
- Contact: info@kpatientrights.org

## Topic hubs

- [Foreign patient rights before and after treatment in Korea](https://kpatientrights.org/topics/before-treatment): The before-treatment topic gathers what a foreign patient in Korea can keep, ask for and call before a disagreement becomes a dispute.
- [Medical dispute procedure in Korea](https://kpatientrights.org/topics/after-dispute): The after-dispute topic groups every page on the routes, steps, deadlines and fees of medical dispute resolution in Korea.
- [Medical accident compensation and insurance in Korea](https://kpatientrights.org/topics/insurance): The compensation topic covers what makes an agreed amount enforceable and which public programmes or insurance pay when the liable side does not.

## Tools (run in the browser, nothing stored)

- [Medical dispute mediation timeline and fee calculator](https://kpatientrights.org/tools/dispute-timeline): The medical dispute mediation fee and timeline tool combines the deadlines in the Medical Dispute Mediation Act with the fee table published by the agency.

## Articles

- [How does medical dispute mediation work in Korea?](https://kpatientrights.org/articles/mediation-procedure): Medical dispute mediation in Korea is run by the Korea Medical Dispute Mediation and Arbitration Agency and moves from application to a decision within 90 days of commencement, extendable once by 30 days.
- [Can medical dispute mediation start if the hospital refuses?](https://kpatientrights.org/articles/hospital-refuses): Medical dispute mediation in Korea normally needs the respondent to agree within 14 days, but cases of death, a coma of a month or more or a severe disability start automatically.
- [How is medical dispute arbitration different from mediation?](https://kpatientrights.org/articles/arbitration): Medical dispute arbitration in Korea is run by the same agency as mediation, but both sides agree in advance to accept the panel’s final decision, which then has the effect of a final judgment.
- [How much does medical dispute mediation cost in Korea?](https://kpatientrights.org/articles/mediation-fees): Medical dispute mediation in Korea costs ₩22,000 for claims up to ₩5 million, with ₩20 added for every ₩10,000 above that up to ₩50 million, according to the agency’s fee page.
- [Mediation, arbitration or a lawsuit: what is the difference?](https://kpatientrights.org/articles/mediation-or-lawsuit): Mediation and arbitration at the agency, damage relief at the Korea Consumer Agency and a civil lawsuit are separate routes, and a lawsuit can be filed without going through mediation first.
- [What is the time limit for medical dispute mediation in Korea?](https://kpatientrights.org/articles/time-limits): An application for medical dispute mediation in Korea must be made within 3 years of learning of the harm and who caused it and within 10 years of the end of the treatment, whichever comes first.
- [Is a medical dispute mediation agreement legally binding?](https://kpatientrights.org/articles/is-agreement-binding): A concluded medical dispute mediation in Korea has the same legal effect as a court settlement, and unpaid amounts can be advanced by the agency.
- [What should a foreign patient keep before leaving Korea?](https://kpatientrights.org/articles/records-before-leaving): A foreign patient with a medical dispute in Korea can ask for copies of their medical records, which the institution may not refuse without a justifiable reason, and can apply for mediation from abroad by e-mail or fax.
- [When does the Korea Consumer Agency handle medical complaints?](https://kpatientrights.org/articles/consumer-agency-route): The Korea Consumer Agency handles medical service damage relief under the Framework Act on Consumers, and medical cases can take up to 60 extra days before going to its mediation committee.
- [What compensation exists for medical accidents in Korea?](https://kpatientrights.org/articles/compensation-programs): Korea’s medical accident compensation programmes include advance payment of unpaid damages by the agency, no-fault compensation for childbirth accidents up to ₩300 million and mandatory insurance in foreign patient care.

## Key pages

- [About Korea Patient Rights Guide](https://kpatientrights.org/about)
- [Korea medical dispute FAQ](https://kpatientrights.org/faq)
- [Medical dispute glossary](https://kpatientrights.org/glossary)
- Feeds: https://kpatientrights.org/rss.xml (RSS), https://kpatientrights.org/feed.xml (Atom)
- Append /index.md to any page address for a Markdown copy: https://kpatientrights.org/about/index.md

## Editorial rules

- Legal deadlines and fees come from the act and decree, with the article number.
- Statistics are shown only after the edition and reference date are confirmed.
- No clinic, doctor or lawyer names, and no referrals.
- Primary (public bodies) and secondary (societies) sources are listed separately.
- No outcome claims are made. Outcomes vary by individual.