# South Korea pediatric medical service disparities

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/south-korea-pediatric-medical-service-disparities
> Updated: 2026-09-07T01:56:07.000Z. Sources: 7. Developments: 2.

Data from South Korea highlights significant regional disparities in pediatric medical services, particularly regarding specialized care and severe cases.

In August 2026, reports indicated that 62.5% of provinces and cities lacked institutions participating in the pediatric palliative care support project. While the government’s ‘2nd Hospice and Life-Sustaining Treatment Comprehensive Plan (2024–2028)’ aims to expand these services, the number of participating institutions had remained stagnant at 12 since 2024, with a heavy concentration in Seoul.

By September 2026, further data revealed a gap in medical self-sufficiency for pediatric hospitalizations. While the national average self-sufficiency rate is 79.0%, it drops to 59.7% for severe cases. Approximately 40.3% of severe pediatric patients are required to travel outside their residential medical district for treatment. In 43 out of 60 medical districts, the self-sufficiency rate for severe pediatric patients is below 50%, with some areas reporting rates below 1%.

## Claims

- Incheon has the lowest pediatric hospitalization self-sufficiency rate among the seven major metropolitan cities at 81.3%. (disputed)
- Severe pediatric self-sufficiency in Incheon is only 1.4%. (disputed)
- The national average self-sufficiency rate for pediatric hospitalizations is 79.0%. (corroborated by 3 sources)
- The self-sufficiency rate for mild pediatric cases is 80.5%. (corroborated by 3 sources)
- The self-sufficiency rate for severe pediatric cases is 59.7%. (corroborated by 3 sources)
- 43 out of 60 medical districts have a severe pediatric self-sufficiency rate below 50%. (corroborated by 2 sources)
- When expanding the analysis to 22 large medical districts, the severe pediatric self-sufficiency rate is 67.9%. (corroborated by 2 sources)
- 40.3% of severe pediatric hospitalizations occur outside the patient's residential medical district. (single source)

## Timeline

### 2026-09-07: South Korea pediatric medical gap persists for severe cases

Severe pediatric patients in South Korea face significant regional medical gaps, with 40.3% forced to seek treatment outside their home districts due to low local self-sufficiency rates.

3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/south-korea-pediatric-medical-gap-persists-for-severe-cases

### 2026-08-25: South Korea pediatric palliative care lacks coverage in 10 provinces

Ten South Korean provinces lack pediatric palliative care institutions, highlighting a severe regional medical gap and heavy service concentration in Seoul.

5 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/south-korea-pediatric-palliative-care-lacks-coverage-in-10-provinces

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Cite as: South Korea pediatric medical service disparities. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/south-korea-pediatric-medical-service-disparities