Q. What is the legal basis for being able to prescribe non‑face‑to‑face herbal medicine for weight loss anywhere in the country?

I also wondered, ‘Is this really possible?’ when first asked. The basis for non‑face‑to‑face herbal medicine prescriptions lies in two main areas. First, the legal aspect: although the Medical Act原则上 requires face‑to‑face consultations, the Ministry of Health and Welfare issued a special temporary measure after COVID‑19 allowing remote care. This later evolved into a ‘telemedicine pilot project’, enabling Korean medicine clinics to offer remote consultations under specific conditions. For example, first‑time patients must have at least one in‑person visit before remote follow‑ups and counseling are allowed. Prescription dispensing, medication guidance, and progress checks can also be done remotely. Second, the flexibility of Korean medicine diagnostic methods: unlike Western medicine, which relies heavily on lab tests and imaging, Korean medicine has long used non‑invasive methods such as detailed history‑taking (問診), tongue diagnosis (舌診), and pulse diagnosis (脈診). In remote settings, pulse cannot be taken, but the practitioner integrates the patient’s facial color, tongue photos, symptom descriptions, and bowel/urine status to infer pathological patterns like spleen deficiency (脾虛), phlegm‑fluid retention (痰飮), or blood stasis (瘀血). The drawback is reduced diagnostic precision without pulse palpation — I myself struggled with this when I first started remote consultations. The advantage is convenience in time and location; people in rural areas or busy office workers can receive herbal medicine without visiting the clinic. The disadvantage is the risk of inaccurate diagnosis if the patient cannot clearly communicate their condition. Also, since decoctions or herbal extracts are sent by mail, any adverse reaction during use requires immediate in‑person care. Ultimately, non‑face‑to‑face prescribing requires balancing convenience with precision. Therefore, I always recommend an initial in‑person consultation first, then switching to remote management for follow‑ups. Legally, this approach is also safer.