(image: Korea Bizwire)
SEOUL, March 31 (Korea Bizwire) — Seven in 10 Korean adults have used oriental medical services before, mainly for the treatment of musculoskeletal disorders, a survey showed Thursday.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare conducted a survey of 5,055 adults over 19 years of age, and found that 71 percent of the respondents had used oriental medical services in the past, up 2 percentage points from 2020.
For those who had availed themselves of such services, the most common recent treatment period was less than one year at 35 percent.
As for the reason why they selected oriental medical services, 42.1 percent cited the effectiveness of the treatment, followed by disease-specialized diagnosis at 15.2 percent and a shortage of side effects at 12.6 percent.
In more detail, the main purpose of use was for the treatment of musculoskeletal disorders at 74.8 percent, followed by “injuries, addiction and extrinsic disorders” at 35.5 percent, “activation of vital energy” at 12.6 percent and “digestive system” at 8.1 percent.
As for the method of treatment, acupuncture accounted for the highest share at 94.3 percent.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
