Telemedicine is believed to revolutionize medical diagnosis and treatment in the 21st century. The technology provides medical services to remote areas or to people who cannot physically visit the hospital. However, telemedicine service has been at the center of debate in the medical sector for years in South Korea. Korean doctors say the technology is not mandatory since the hospital density per area is one of the highest around the world. The doctors also fear the imbalance of medical services due to the lack of high-tech equipment in small hospitals. Corporations are welcoming telemedicine in anticipation of making profits out of the system. But the main concern is not the impact of the technology on the overall economy - people are mostly interested in whether telemedicine is in fact beneficial for them. Some are worried that the cost of medical diagnosis or treatment will rise. Others fear that the overall safety of the system might be threatened. The responsibility for the failure of an equipment is also an important issue for people because neither the doctors nor the equipment manufacturers will be willing to take the risk. The Ministry of Health and Welfare responds to such concerns by clarifying exactly what the government is trying to implement in the hospitals and the outcomes.

Contrary to popular belief that implementing the new law will cause the inequality between the university hospitals and the local hospitals, telemedicine will not decrease the profit of the local hospitals as much as it will the overall cost of diagnosis. The hospitals will not be using expensive high-tech equipment because doctors will be only allowed to diagnose patients. If extra equipment that may increase the cost of the diagnosis is required, the government promises to support the hospital financially. The law actually helps local hospitals and patients. Since the law focuses on local hospitals instead of the university hospitals, the patients will now have the choice of accessing doctors through their electronic devices, along with making personal visits to the hospitals. Some question the government whether or not the investment in communication technology will decrease the money spent on telemedicine equipment and the quality of the treatment. However, the Ministry of Health and Welfare states that the government is going to limit corporations from forcing hospitals to purchase the equipment for telemedicine in the future. Telemedicine will not be mandatory for hospitals, but it will provide the individual hospitals an opportunity to compete with the university hospitals and attract more patient. Telemedicine has been shown to reduce the cost of healthcare and increase efficiency through better management of diseases, shared health professional staffing, reduced travel times, and fewer or shorter hospital stays.

Safety is also a very important issue, but the new law does not pose any problems as of now. Telemedicine will only be available for diagnosis of common diseases, such as colds, rather than severe disease, such as cancer. There will be no surgeries or any serious diagnosis using telemedicine yet. The government intends to create a list of disease that can be diagnosed through telemedicine. Moreover, since the law requires patients and doctors to see each other before consulting through electronic devices, doctors can be aware of the patients’ symptoms and react immediately to emergencies when patients cannot contact their doctors. Many elderly or physically disabled people, who have a difficult time visiting hospitals in person each time they have a problem, benefit from this technology. Even younger patients can make use of telemedicine when they have questions to ask their doctors but do not have the time to do so in person. Some disease requires diagnosis on a regular basis, and telemedicine can provide the tools to save the time and effort of patients. For example, doctors can take care of the elderly through regular checkups via telemedicine to see any signs of dangerous symptoms.  Studies have consistently shown that the quality of healthcare services delivered via telemedicine is as good other services given in traditional in-person consolations. In some fields such as mental health and intensive care units, telemedicine is known to deliver superior results and higher patient satisfaction.