Distribution of medical tourists in South Korea in 2023, by department

In 2023, around 35.2 percent of foreigners who came to South Korea as medical tourists received medical treatments at departments for dermatology. This was followed by plastic surgery and internal medicine, at 16.8 percent and 13.4 percent of foreign patients respectively. The total number of medical tourists to South Korea that year was the highest ever recorded in the country.

Reasons for inbound medical tourism in South Korea

South Korea is a popular destination for medical tourism since it offers advanced medical facilities and technology at lower costs compared to other major countries. Indeed, around 61.8 percent of the surveyed foreign patients in South Korea stated that they chose South Korea for its advanced medical technology. Other top reasons include the reputation of the South Korean healthcare system. The purposes of treatments to receive in Korea differed from patients' region of origin. Patients from Asian countries such as China, Japan, and Thailand mostly visited Korea for cosmetic purposes such as plastic surgery and dermatology. In countries such as the United States, Russia, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan, they flew to Korea for treatment purposes in medical departments or examination centers.

Medical tourists in South Korea

More than half of the patients who came to South Korea for medical treatment enjoyed tourism in South Korea. Shopping and short city tours were the most popular tourism activities among foreign patients, while others visited historical sites and enjoyed nature and scenery. Patients spent am average of 15.2 days for medical purposes and another 16.2 days for tourism. In addition, medical tourists spent an average of 6.8 thousand U.S. dollars, about half of which was medical fees. Most of the visitors were with a travel companion, traveling in a group of 2.5 persons on average.