South Korea’s medical tourism industry has experienced a surge in popularity, with the number of foreign patients seeking medical treatment in the country reaching a record high of 605,768 in 2023. This represents a significant increase from 248,000 patients in 2022 and a 21.8% increase from the pre-pandemic high of 2019. The Ministry of Health and Welfare attributed the growth to South Korea’s advanced medical technology and services, particularly in the areas of dermatology and plastic surgery, which accounted for over half of the treatments received by foreign patients.
More than half of the foreign patients who visited Korea last year received treatment for dermatology (35.2%) and plastic surgery (16.8%). Foreign patients from a total of 198 countries visited Korea last year, with Japanese patients topping the list, followed by those from China, the United States, Thailand, and Mongolia. Seoul was the most popular destination for foreign patients, with 78.1% of them visiting the city for medical tourism. This is likely due to the concentration of plastic surgery and dermatology clinics in Seoul and the surrounding metropolitan area.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare has been promoting a strategy to attract foreign medical tourists to the country since last May, and the efforts seem to be paying off. The ministry plans to continue its efforts to make South Korea the medical tourism hub of Asia, while ensuring that the increasing number of foreign patients does not affect the quality of medical services for Koreans.
