Known best for the pain treatment FIMS -- fluoroscopy-guided interventional microadhesiolysis and nerve stimulation -- Ahnkang Hospital became the first Korean hospital to open in Kuwait in July 2017. It marked one of the first instances of a Korean-owned hospital to operate in the Middle East.

Dr. Ahn Kang’s ties to the Middle East first began in 2009, while he was still working for a Korean university hospital. Ahn said he was visited by an official from Libya who complained of a pain in his tailbone. Following the visit, other high-profile clients from the region streamed in, he said.

After studying oriental medicine for 10 years, Ahn traveled around Korea to provide free medical services in remote parts of the country. His story was introduced in a KBS2 documentary in October 2013.

Ahn also obtained a medical license in Kuwait, becoming the first Korean to do so. He plans to open another medical center in Abu Dhabi in United Arab Emirates, and signed an agreement to open a chronic pain treatment center in a military hospital of Qatar in March.

On working both in the Middle East and in South Korea, Ahn said that although a 15-hour flight can feel quite tiring, he feels a sense of duty in introducing Korean medicine overseas -- just as BTS is doing with Korean music.

(khnews@heraldcorp.com)