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Gov't plans to relax medical restrictions, especially for stem cell therapies

Published: 16 Oct. 2025, 18:28 Updated: 16 Oct. 2025, 18:47

President Lee Jae Myung speaks during the second Strategy Meeting on Regulatory Reform at the presidential office in Yongsan District, central Seoul on Oct. 16. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Patients in Korea may soon have easier access to stem cell therapies, as the government moves to relax decades-old restrictions and fast-track approvals for new drugs and treatments.

In Korea, stem cell treatments have so far been restricted to serious or rare diseases. The aim is to broaden access to cutting-edge regenerative medicine and reduce the need for patients to seek treatment abroad.

At the second Strategy Meeting on Regulatory Reform held at the presidential office on Thursday, President Lee Jae Myung emphasized the need for a radical shift in regulatory attitudes.

“Instead of defaulting to ‘no,’ we need to change our mindset to ‘yes, unless there’s a reason not to,’” he said.

“Public officials are not experts in advanced industries,” Lee added. “They must not pre-emptively decide what is or isn’t allowed. Unless something must be prohibited, we should permit most things as a basic principle of regulation.”

Due to Korea’s current restrictions, many patients have traveled to countries like Japan to receive stem cell therapies. The government plans to issue new guidelines by the end of the year that will allow for more flexible eligibility for such treatments.

“This administration’s core objective is to ensure that new opportunities lead to fairer outcomes for all and help reduce social polarization,” Lee said. “Regulatory reform is one of the key ways to achieve that.”

Rather than using regulations to avoid dealing with conflicts of interest, Lee stressed the importance of mediation. “It’s the government’s role to step in and adjust, not to evade,” he said.

President Lee Jae Myung, center in the back, speaks during the second Strategy Meeting on Regulatory Reform at the presidential office in Yongsan District, central Seoul on Oct. 16. [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]

During the meeting, officials also discussed regulatory improvements in the biotechnology sector. Yoon Chang-yul, the director of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, presented on the topic, noting that unlike the United States — which provides early-stage support for new drug development — Korea faces challenges such as a lack of research and development investment and complex approval systems.

The government aims to reduce the average review period for new drug approval to 240 days, down from the current 371-day average from 2020 to 2024. This is approximately 1.5 to 2 times longer than in the United States or Japan. Officials also discussed allowing greater use of anonymized medical data from deceased individuals for drug development and other research purposes.

In the cultural content sector, Yoon noted that while K-pop and Korean dramas have achieved remarkable global competitiveness, outdated broadcasting regulations remain a hurdle. To level the playing field with global streaming platforms like Netflix, the government plans to ease restrictions on virtual and product placement ads, as well as midroll advertisements on domestic broadcasters.

The government also plans to implement a total daily cap on broadcast advertising time while allowing networks to allocate ads more flexibly within that limit.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY YOON SUNG-MIN [[email protected]]