State health agencies said Friday they have launched a group of specialists to effectively assist South Korea's medical institutions get established in foreign countries.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korea Health industry Development Institute are working together in operating the "Global Healthcare Key Opinion Leaders" and has selected 47 members for the group that will provide consultations on legal, commercial and financial matters specific to individual countries, officials said. The members, formally appointed on Friday, organized a session on China on the same day, briefing the participants on strategies and the latest trends in China's health care industry.


Institutions planning to expand overseas can apply for the group's assistance, and consulting fees will be paid for by KHIDI.

"The specialist members of GHKOL will ease the burdens of medical institutions who want to go overseas, and at the same time help smaller and regionally based institutions actively seek expansion in other countries," the health ministry said. (Yonhap)