While North Korea is still be in the dark, South Korea is a boomtown for medical device and high-tech manufacturing. In part, the South Korean government is working to boost exports of medical devices to different parts of Asia.The country is backed by growing support form the government, which has recently opened facilities in Indonesia and Vietnam to target importers and local physicians with product support and marketing. The government will release more information on its plan to help drive medical device business in the coming months.According to financial export data from the Korea Health Industry Development Institute, Korea exports of medical equipment were valued at $2.6 billion last year. For now, South Korea's medical device market mostly doesn't target Europe, the United States, or Japan; instead, manufacturers in the country target emerging economies in South Africa, China, India, Russia and Brazil. From 2011-2012, medical device exports in SK increased by 17.5%. For multinational medical device manufacturers from Europe and the United States, South Korea's performance in recent years could be a dire warning of things to come. Since the country is targeting emerging markets in aggressive ways, it could pose a significant challenge to Western manufacturers. On top of this, the country also serves as a rapid conduit for medical device distribution in Asia.That said, some U.S. companies are gaining ground in South Korea. U.S.-based Varian Medical Systems recently built an Asian subsidiary in the country, giving it access to new patients for its imaging and radiotherapy equipment.On top of this, GE Healthcare also announced that it will purchase assets from Rayence. These assets include manufacturing facilities for mammography imaging technologies. Rayence is a subsidiary of Vatech, an X-ray company based in South Korea. With this partial acquisition, GE will be able to access a variety of emerging markets in Asia. Since Rayence is well-known in Asia, GE will also gain a brandname that is recognized by many Asian healthcare consumers. South Korea's reputation as a research pioneer is solid as well. Kyungpook National University Hospital (KNUH), for instance, has grown to be renowned in the field of hair transplant research, attracting international patients and medical researchers. Another example can be seen in Chonnam National University Hwasun Hospital, which is renowned as an innovator in orthopaedic surgery and technology.