Medical care out of reach on 60% of inhabited islands

Six in 10 inhabited islands in South Korea have no medical facilities, leaving residents in many areas dependent on medical service vessels, government data showed Tuesday.

Only 192 of the 480 islands with permanent populations had either public or private facilities providing medical care in 2024, according to a report compiled by the National Assembly Research Service based on data from the Korea Island Development Institute.

Medical facilities as defined by the report do not include pharmacie ...