Since 2010, Japan has been continuously conducting demonstration projects and demand survey projects for the review of medical business development in overseas countries led by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry for overseas expansion of medical institutions, medical devices, and medical services. Japan has established medical centers in foreign countries to promote and experience high technologies such as medical devices and medicines, and has dispatched Japanese medical staff to educate them. In addition, efforts have been made to identify medical regulations in foreign countries and create countermeasures. However, many things changed starting from the outbreak of COVID-19. Eventually, Japan has invested a lot of money and effort to provide medical care, but in the face of a shortage of overseas dispatched medical staff, it is transforming into a preventive management center with less resource input for patients’ healthcare rather than a treatment-oriented approach.

As such, let’s take a closer look at how the recent overseas expansion of the Japanese medical industry has flowed since 2010.

According to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry’s report (2017) submitted to the Prime Minister’s Office, After they commissioned the Nomura Institute, the Nomura Institute plans to recruit Japanese medical institutions, medical institutions, and other operators, and form their respective consortiums to carry out several overseas business projects. This is largely divided into two categories: demonstration projects and demand survey projects for the review of medical business development in overseas countries.

The demonstration projects for the review of medical business development in overseas countries continued to be carried out “2010 Medical Service Internationalization Project” and “2012 Medical Device and Service Internationalization Project”,  8 projects in 5 countries in 2011, 23 projects in 10 countries in 2012, and 29 projects in 15 countries in 2013, and more than 70 projects from 2010 to 2017.

Japan conducted an empirical verification project in Russia to review the establishment of an endoscopic surgical training center, a breast cancer screening system improvement project, and a diagnostic center establishment project in Turkmenistan. In addition, they carried out dialysis medical provision projects, regional comprehensive care system construction projects, rehabilitation hub promotion projects in China, cranial neurosurgery treatment and projects, Japanese simple examination services and simple examination devices in India, and next-generation cancer diagnosis center in Brazil. In addition, among many Asian countries, Bangladesh conducted a Japanese clinical training base, a Japanese Bio Medical Engineer training project, and a video treatment technology promotion project, and a Japanese examination/inspection center establishment project in Cambodia. In addition, they carried out a dental technology training center project in Indonesia, a project to establish a Japanese medical connection center using ICT, and a project to support endoscopic advanced surgery, and a project to establish a Japanese medical technology training base in Myanmar. In addition, they carried out the International Advanced Digestive Endoscopy Center in the Philippines, the PACS Base in Japan, the Blood Purification Therapy Promotion Project in Thailand, a Japanese medical ICT promotion project, a Japanese contact lens diagnosis and distribution project, an empirical survey project on the opening of a health examination center, and a support project for the distribution of digestive system cancer diagnosis system were carried out in Vietnam.

As an empirical survey, Japan designated a business that is expected to become a business entity in the future in the consortium as a representative organization. From all over the world, Japanese medical institutions, doctors, and nurses provided Japanese medical services or medical device training services using Japanese medical devices and information systems, and conducted an empirical survey to review business models in a continuous form. In addition, it investigated the organization and countermeasures of the country’s medical system (whether it is licensed, the distribution/import system of devices or drugs, procedures for establishing a local corporation, labor problems when hiring local medical workers, etc.).

In addition, Japan conducted a demand survey in Asia and other emerging countries. Emerging countries predicted a rapid increase in demand for medical care, and due to the lack of local medical provision environment or medical information, Japan analyzed the local medical environment, identified trends of medical providers in the U.S. and Europe, and reviewed institutional tasks and countermeasures through literature and on-site surveys.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has been conducting research projects for the practical use of medical technology in developing and emerging countries in line with the movement of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. This is to establish the effectiveness by developing medical technology, medicine, and medical devices in accordance with the needs of the relevant country, and to establish the advantage by establishing evidence that helps overseas expansion. In addition, they have made efforts to adapt to the international medical regulation system so that Japanese medical devices and drugs can be easily certified / approved from medical regulations in overseas countries. In addition, they have provided support to develop human resources to dispatch Japanese medical staff (doctors, nurses, etc.) to ASEAN, Brazil, and India, and to transfer knowledge or experience about the public health insurance system.

In order to raise the low profile of Japanese medical institutions/medical enterprises, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has formed a joint support group with Japanese companies to dispatch them to the Middle East (Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar: 400), India (September 2013, 130), Kazakhstan (November 2013, 120), Turkey (February, 100), Russia, 160). They will hold lectures and seminars on Japanese doctors or participate in symposiums for government officials, medical workers, and medical providers in the country. It was intended to participate in a project to build and operate medical facilities in the country, which is impossible with private capital alone, and to create a medical base in Japan. Of course, it was also used as a diplomatic strategy in line with the tour schedule of Japanese government factors.

In addition, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has outsourced medical technology books that describe Japanese medical devices, medical services, and medical systems, and distributed them to government officials, embassies, medical institutions, and doctors from overseas.

MIKE CHOI

Asia Journal

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups (hereinafter referred to as MSS)(Minister KWON Chil-seung) announced that it had designated 200 promising small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that will lead the global market as “global small but strong companies” in 2022.

“Global small but strong companies” is a system that designates export SMEs, which is promoted by the MSS in cooperation with local governments and regional related organisations to nurture export SMEs with innovativeness and growth potential.

Promising export companies with strong performance in terms of sales and exports despite COVID-19 applied for “Global small but strong companies” for this year, and the final 200 companies were selected through local sites and presentation evaluations.

The list consists of companies with high global growth potential. The average sales of newly designated global small but strong companies are worth 23.5 billion won, and the average exports are worth 10.63 million dollars, which shows that exports account for more than 50% of sales.

In addition, 55% (110) of the newly designated companies are located in non-metropolitan regions, which means that a large number of companies that are selected have high potential to grow into excellent companies driving the local economy.

200 companies that are newly designated as global small but strong companies this year will be able to receive customised support packages provided by the MSS, local governments, and private financial institutions for the next four years.

As for the details of the support, the MSS will provide preferential support including granting additional points when applying for overseas marketing support projects such as export vouchers and R&D projects until 2025.

In addition, the designated companies can receive support for prototype production, education and consulting, production process and quality improvement operated by 17 local governments, and financial support such as expansion of policy funding limits and preferential interest rates from private financial institutions.

Director General for Global Growth Policy Kang Ki-sung said, “We will provide full support to the newly designated companies so that they can leap forward as global enterprises .”

For more information about the global small but strong companies project, visit the website of the Small and Medium Enterprise Export Support Center (www.exportcenter.go.kr) or the website of the Enterprise Madang (www.bizinfo.go.kr).

safety accidents because electricity is essential for every house and every building. Without a fundamental mechanism to solve the constant flow of leaks, accidents will continue to happen, and if someone doesn’t change, they will continue to live in a dangerous life without additional safety measures for electricity.

There is still a lack of awareness that we should prevent accidents before they happen because everyone knows safety is the most important thing. In other words, the reality is that it is not easy to make people aware of the risk of electric leakage due to safety insensitivity. It should be used in places where electricity is frequently dropped, where electricity needs to be saved, in old buildings, or in places where aging electricity or water is used, especially if it is humid, it is necessary to apply the circuit breaker. Carelessness or device aging can cause electric shock and fire accidents, so you must find products that can prevent the cause, familiarize yourself with how to use them, and use them safely to prevent accidents.

If a Korean song is K-pop, Korean media content is called ‘K-content’. This K-culture began to draw attention abroad, starting with K-pop, and recently 70 new works have been selected to continue the global success of K-content. The Korea Creative Content Agency has decided to support the production of broadcast video contents in earnest in 2022. Konjinwon (hereinafter referred to as the Korea Creative Content Agency) supported the total production cost of KRW 24.6 billion as the “2022 Broadcast Video Content Production Support” project, supporting various and creative future content attempts with OTT-specific and new technology-based content. Among them, Korean Wave content, which connects the drama “Shurup,” “The youngest son of a chaebol house,” and “Racket Boys,” is especially expected.

The agency will support the industry to make various attempts and challenges in line with the rapidly changing industrial trend this year due to the expansion of businesses of OTT platforms at home and abroad and the emergence of new technologies. The broadcast video content production support project will be carried out in OTT-specific content, terrestrial, cable, and general content for broadcast media, new technology-based content using AR and VR, short form, and broadcast format.

Among the works selected this year, many projects that showed differentiated planning according to the characteristics of domestic OTT platforms were included from the beginning, drawing attention. In addition, support for projects to expand new viewing experiences, high-quality large-scale documentary series, and entertainment formats with novel ideas stood out, confirming the growing planning and production capabilities of K-content.

Six dramas scheduled to be released in Korea, including TVing, Season, and Wave, were selected for the selection of the “OTT Specialized Content-Drama Category,” which was introduced to revitalize the domestic OTT platform. It consists of dramas with novel materials that will contribute to the competitiveness of OTT in Korea, entertainment in a fresh format, and high-quality documentaries. From feature-length romantic comedies such as “Delivery Man” and “Can I Be Another,” Kwon Sang-woo, who pleasantly unraveled the sad reality of ordinary people based on the essay “Old Man, Hurts,” and Sung Dong-il, dramas of various materials and genres will contribute to enhancing the competitiveness of OTT content in Korea.

The entertainment show “In-house Love,” which was selected as the “OTT-specific content production support-non-drama category,” is a love reality program that unfolds with missions in the company space, and is led by Park Won-woo, a format creator of “King of Mask Singer.” Desktop, which was selected in the short form content category, is a fresh format mystery game show based on celebrity desks, and is drawing more attention as producer Seo Soo-min, a former producer of Gag Concert, oversees the production. The documentary series, designed as content exclusively for OTT platforms, also presents works with high dimensions in material, production period, and expression. <High Teen: The Time We Dance> records the dynamic semester activities of second-year students in the practical dance department of Seoul Performing Arts High School, which has produced famous idols leading the Korean Wave, such as BTS, EXO, NCT, and Oh My Girl. <Gwijok Restaurant> is expected to introduce differentiated food contents by searching for royal food from major countries in Korea, Europe, and Asia and exploring the history and culture contained therein.

The selection of “New Technology-based Broadcast Video Content Production Support” is a work that combines various technologies such as artificial intelligence and Metabus, and will showcase a new content experience different from before. It will provide all-round support to produce new experimental contents and Korean Wave contents combined with the latest technologies such as artificial intelligence and metabus. The Liberation Korean Peninsula, which restores the appearance of the Liberation Korean Peninsula, which remains as an old black-and-white recording video, to vivid colors using the latest artificial intelligence (AI) technology, and Virtual Top 10 where singers and fans meet at virtual studios based on the Metabus worldview were selected. In addition, various works using virtual reality, extended reality, and 360-degree photography technology are selected and expected to be a venue for future content experiments combined with new technologies.

In addition, a total of seven films will be selected for the dramas for terrestrial, cable TV, and general broadcasting, contributing to the continued expansion of the Korean Wave. The selected films included popular works such as “Shrub,” in which actor Kim Hye-soo plays a role in a historical drama for the first time in 20 years, and “The youngest son of a chaebol house,” starring Hallyu star Song Joong-ki. Last year, Konjinwon contributed to the growth of K-content by supporting dramas that led to favorable reviews and Hallyu among broadcasters and viewers, such as “Love,” “Racket Boys,” and “Now, We’re Breaking Up.”

Cho Hyun-rae, director of the Korea Creative Content Agency, said, “Contents have constantly expanded the ecosystem by adapting to the latest technologies and environmental changes, and recently OTT and new technologies are giving opportunities to expand broadcast video contents.”

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (Minister Hwang Hee) and the Korea Creative Content Agency (Director Cho Hyun-rae, hereinafter Kon Jin-won) produced an interview video with a local media company in the U.S. and released it on YouTube of the U.S. Business Center to help K-content enter the North American market. In particular, it will produce an interview video series dealing with the current status of K-content in the U.S. and know-how to enter the local market.

It aims to provide vivid business information by dealing with trends in the US broadcasting and video content market and local targeting methods. The agency’s U.S. Business Center produced a total of 18 videos under the theme of “Business Strategy for Korean Content to Enter the North American Market.” The video will feature three officials from local media companies in the U.S., including Lee Dong-hoon, co-chief producer of Apple TV and the original series “Pachinko,” Warner Bros. Vice President Adam Steinman, and Coco and Park Geun-hee. They will talk about trends in the U.S. broadcasting and video content market and strategies to enter the field with Joo Sung-ho, head of the U.S. Business Center at Kon Jin-won. In particular, Itdal will deliver practical information and know-how to content companies and creators who want to enter North America by pointing out changes in status in the U.S. due to the global success of K-content and looking at changes in the U.S. broadcasting and video content market due to the rapid growth of OTT.

Adam Steinman, vice president of Warner Bros., praised K-content’s performance last year and cited original settings and ideas, global and Korean narrative and style, and format development considering global business development as strategies to succeed in the U.S. market in the future. In addition, Vice President Adam Steinman expressed interest and expectations for K-content, saying, “We are actively looking for another K-format in 2022 that connects entertainment shows <King of Mask Singer> and <I Can See Your Voice>, which were remade and popular in the U.S.”

Korea’s leading producers talked about the factors that domestic content companies need to tap into the U.S. market, and writers, actors, and directors from various languages and cultures are entering the U.S. market as the landscape changes, such as active acquisitions and mergers between production companies. This trend will continue in 2022, and it is expected to be a good opportunity for Korean content companies and creators.

It provides streaming services for Korean broadcasting video content in the Americas. Park Geun-hee, CEO of Coco, who is considered a Korean Netflix, said, “Unlike other OTT platforms, Coco’s ‘Non-exclusive content strategy’ allows viewers to watch three terrestrial entertainment shows, ‘Running Man’ and ‘I Live Alone’ as original exclusive content. More than 90% of Coco’s Asian subscribers can be seen. Meanwhile, anyone can watch the interview video of “Business Strategy for Korean Content to Enter the North American Market” on KOCCA USA, the U.S. Business Center in Konjinwon.

As such, Korea’s K-content is receiving more and more attention day by day. What is needed to receive global attention beyond Korea will be the development of a format that takes into account our own original settings and ideas, global and Korean narratives and styles, and global business development. Starting with OTT contents such as Squid Game and Sweet Home, which received worldwide attention, the Korea Creative Content Agency asked for global attention, saying it will support various challenges to bring out various contents that can enhance Korea’s status.

Lina Lee

Asia Journal