South Korea limits traffic accident injury treatment to 8 weeks to curb insurance payouts

South Korea is set to implement an 8-week treatment limit for minor traffic accident injuries, a move aimed at curbing the phenomenon of "long-term treatment" by patients with minor conditions, often referred to as "nylon patients."

Starting August 10th, individuals treated for injuries like sprains and bruises resulting from traffic accidents will be subject to a review if their treatment extends beyond eight weeks. This review will be conducted by a medical committee at the Korea Automobile Insurance Dispute Mediation Board (KAIDMB). Patients must submit necessary documents to their insurance provider, who will then forward them to the KAIDMB for assessment by specialists with at least 10 years of experience.

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This revised enforcement decree is intended to alleviate the burden of automobile insurance premiums for citizens and establish a culture of appropriate compensation.

Pregnant women and children under seven years old are exempt from this review process and can receive extended treatment without additional scrutiny. The insurance company will cover the costs associated with the review, including document issuance and treatment during the assessment period. The government anticipates that this measure will significantly reduce excessive medical treatments and unnecessary insurance payouts.

Park Joon-hyung, head of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's Mobility and Automotive Division, stated that the revised enforcement decree aims to alleviate the burden of automobile insurance premiums for citizens and foster a culture of appropriate compensation. He assured that while the system will effectively filter out "nylon patients," efforts will be made to minimize any inconvenience to the public resulting from these changes.

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We will effectively filter out 'nylon patients' while doing our best to ensure there is no inconvenience to the public due to the system improvement.