Utilization of Natural Therapy to Activate Regional Economy

Roh Yongsik Associate Research Fellow

□ Longlive areas with high percentage of 100-year old population and rural areas in natural healing environment are centered on attention at home and abroad. 
 ￭ The world’s longest-lived people areas, Blue Zones and healing villages have been receiving attention. 
 ￭ In Korea, there are several cases that people could prevent diseases and even sick people got well in the natural environment for wellness. The local government are using natural healing as a business tool to activate regional economy.

□ In Germany, there are healing programs for ordinary people to promote healthy lives. In Netherland, many healing villages for people with dementia are financially supported to promote the quality of their lives.

  ￭ German health insurance law has provided healing program for the ordinary people and developed many health resorts (kurorts in German) such as Bed Woerishofen. 
  ￭ The Hogeweyk, a nursing village in Netherland was created for the dementia suffering people to offer its inhabitants health insurance, which improved their health condition and increased average life expectancy. 

□ The issue of aging and illness needs to be considered not only in health and welfare sector but also in national territory, which can be used as a tool to activate regional economy.
  ￭ In accordance with Article 1 of the National Health Insurance Act, insurance benefit should be provided on the purpose of prevention and health promotion.
  ￭ In terms of preventing and healing the illness, it will increase the quality of people’s lives, improve financial soundness of National Health Insurance and build pilot towns in nature to activate regional economy.