An American woman is having a consultation session at a Korean cosmetic surgery center. She hopes to get liposuction and body sculpting here. This plastic surgery clinic sees a number of foreign patients who hope to get makeovers. An influx of foreigners is a trend not confined only to plastic surgery centers. Here’s Mr. Jin Soo-nam, head of Medical Tourism Department at the Korea Tourism Organization to explain more about the popularity of Korea as a top-notch medical service provider.

Experts cite Korea as first-rate in dermatology and cosmetic surgery. The technical level of Korean plastic surgeons has been well advertised all over the world through Korean TV shows and K-pop music. The standard of beauty has elevated to the level of Korean celebrities. The local cosmetic surgery industry estimates that foreigners spent more than 100 million dollars on plastic surgery in Korea last year. Plastic surgery tourism to Korea is reportedly very popular among Chinese people.

Medical tourism includes not only plastic surgery services, but also treatment programs for cancer, cardiovascular diseases, brain disorders, and other serious illnesses. Here’s Mr. Jin Soo-nam, head of Medical Tourism Department at the Korea Tourism Organization for more.

As of 2010, two out of ten foreign patients were found to have sought out dermatological and plastic surgery services, followed by the services for digestive diseases, circulatory medicine, physical checkup, family medicine, and gynecological diseases. It has become apparent that foreign patients seek out services in many different areas. In the early years of medical tourism Japanese and Chinese visitors came to Korea for plastic surgeries or skincare procedures, but now an increasing number of foreigners come for Oriental medicine or treatments for chronic illnesses.

An increasing number of foreign patients with serious illnesses like cancer and neurovascular diseases come to Korea for the country’s cutting-edge medical technology and service. In 2010 patients with serious illnesses numbered nearly 10 thousand, about 12% of all foreign patients in Korea, and they spent roughly 55 billion won or 48.8 million U.S. dollars in medical expenses, more than half of the total medical expenditure. It is apparent that more and more foreigners are coming to Korea for medical treatments and aesthetic surgery procedures. Here’s Mr. Jin Soo-nam, head of Medical Tourism Department at the Korea Tourism Organization for more explanation.

In 2008, almost 27,850 foreigners came to Korea for medical treatment. That number rose to 60,200 in 2009 and 81,700 in 2010, posting a 36% increase in a year. Judging from these figures, medical tourism in Korea is surging. It is projected that the final count for foreign patients in the year 2011 would be over 110 thousand. If medical spa and skincare procedures and other healing and health management programs were included in this figure, the number would go up to roughly 530 thousand.

The nationalities of foreign patients also vary greatly. Here’s Mr. Jin Soo-nam, head of Medical Tourism Department at the Korea Tourism Organization.

By nationality, Americans take up the largest share with 32.4%, followed by Chinese with 19.4% and Japanese 16.8%. The Chinese overtook the Japanese in 2010. In 2009, 1,746 Russians came to Korea, which increased 7.7% in the following year to 5,098. Mongolians also account for about 2.8% of the total foreign patients. The number of patients from the Middle East is also rising with 949 in 2010. The figures for 2011 are still in the works.



In addition to the sheer number of foreign patients, the amount of money they spend on medical procedures also soared. According to a Bank of Korea calculation, foreigners spent 115.6 million dollars for medical services in Korea last year. This sum is 65 million dollars more than the amount Koreans spent overseas for medical purposes during the same period. Foreigners choose Korea for medical procedures mainly because of Korea’s excellent medical technology. Here’s Professor In Yohan of the International Health Care Center at Yonsei University’s Severance Hospital.

The level of university hospitals in Korea is world-class. I’ve always told people that, seen from a foreigner’s view, Korean doctors are extremely skilled with their hands. And then there is cutting-edge technology. The combination of the two makes Korean doctors the best in executing medical procedures. For instance, in America 0.5% of the coronary angiography recipients experience complications. That’s one out of every 200 patients. Here in Korea the probability is down to one in 500, or fewer. Superior technical skills of Korean doctors keep complications at bay.

Expertise of Korean doctors, excellent personal care, and affordable cost have driven up the number of foreign patients in Korea. It is estimated that more than 150 thousand foreigners would come to Korea for medical treatment this year, and nearly 400 thousand by 2018. Korean medical tourism is marked by not only the exceptional skills of Korean doctors, but also the high satisfaction of foreign patients. Here’s Mr. Jin Soo-nam, head of Medical Tourism Department at the Korea Tourism Organization to explain more.

The level of Korea’s overall medical technology is above those of advanced nations. In chiropractic Korea’s world-class in both western and Oriental medicine fields. The survival rate for liver cancer, cervical cancer, breast cancer, and liver transplant are also exceptional, way higher than those in other countries. Excellence in cosmetic surgery goes without saying. Asian tourists are keenly interested in Korean medical services because of Korean celebrities and TV shows. Another factor driving the popularity of medical tourism in Korea is the advanced medical equipment available in Korean hospitals and clinics. The country boasts the highest ownership of cutting-edge medical equipment and devices. This is why foreign medical tourists are highly satisfied about the quality of treatment they receive in Korea.

This woman from Singapore is consulting a doctor for a facial reshaping procedure. Her photo has been entered in the computer for a cosmetic surgery simulation to see how her appearance would change.

My cheekbones were so prominent that I was made fun of a lot. Two of my friends got plastic surgery in Korea. One friend had surgery done first in Thailand, but she wasn’t happy with it. Then she came to Korea for another surgery, which left her completely satisfied.

This woman wanted to look like Korean actress Song Hye-gyo. Many of foreign plastic surgery patients have certain Korean celebrities in mind they come for facial makeover. Here’s plastic surgeon Park Won-jin.

The most popular procedures are eye and nose jobs. Facial outline reconstruction, liposuction, face lifting and other procedures have increased in recent years. Lots of patients ask me to make them look like Korean stars. Medical services for foreign tourists have been around for quite a while, but it took on the form of tourism about five years ago. Korea is seeing a resurgence of medical tourism these days. Word-of-mouth advertising by those who had been treated in Korea has helped the Korean medical industry to see a 20% growth every year.



The Korean beauty fever is riding the wave of popular Korean cultural contents such as Korean drama series and K-pop.

Korea is strong in internal medicine, gastroenterology, and chiropractic, but, according to foreign patients, no other country is on a par with Korea in cosmetic surgery. Korea is said to be about two or three levels above other countries and ten years more advanced than them. I believe the popularity of cultural contents brought about the growth of beauty and health care. Beautiful appearance completed the all-around package of Korean entertainers. Subsequently, Korea’s beauty and plastic surgery industry grew jointly with the popularity of Korean celebrities, who advertised the procedures done on them. Their improved appearances and beauty are proof foreigners needed to seek out Korean plastic surgeons.

Korean hospitals provide assorted amenities for foreign medical tourists. Not only do they provide pre- and post-op programs, they also take care of hotel accommodations and tour itineraries. Here’s Ms. Park Jin-ok in charge of marketing at a plastic surgery clinic for more explanation.

People tend to be afraid of plastic surgery clinics, because that’s where we operate on people. But, by putting up a décor like an art gallery from the entrance, we try to ease patients’ anxiety and give impression that we are not a scary hospital. When a foreign patient comes to Korea, transportation to and from the airport and translation service are a given. Our patients don’t stay in Korea for long, for they have to go back to work after a week or ten days. So we pay much attention to post-op care, so that they can recover quickly from surgery-induced swelling and bruises.

A prospective foreign patient appears to be very happy following the consultation. She looks forward to seeing a prettier and more confident self.

A lot of people recommended Korea, so I came to Korea. Surgery would make me prettier. All women want to look pretty. I think I would regain confidence. Looking good is important, but how I feel about it also important. My nose looks okay, but it’s wide and flat. I want to fix that.

Oriental medicine has also seen an increase in foreign patients.

Japanese office worker Masako came to see a doctor of traditional Korean medicine for her fatigue, poor digestion, and deep, throbbing pain in her shoulders. The doctor drew up a customized treatment plant and she ended up receiving therapy right there and then.

My name is Masako Honda. I’m 32 years old. Today I received heat treatment, cosmetic acupuncture, and body adjustment. It lasted about two to three hours. I was really fatigued recently, but after the therapy I feel a lot better.

This Korean traditional medicine clinic is reportedly quite famous among the Japanese. There are no Oriental medicine clinics in Japan, which is why these medical facilities in Korea are such a draw to Japanese tourists. Here’s Dr. Jo Jin-hyung of the clinic.

Strangely, Japan does not have many traditional medical practitioners. We have lots of Japanese patients, who seem to mainly suffer from ischemia and allergic rhinitis. One of the merits of traditional medicine is that we go to the source. For rhinitis, western medicine prescribes antihistamine, which only cures the symptom. But we focus on the underlying cause, which happens to be poor metabolism, so the patients gets treated for not only rhinitis, but also ischemia and swelling.

With a surge of foreign medical tourists, Korean hospitals and clinics have stepped on their overseas PR campaigns. The International Health Care Center at Yonsei University’s Severance Hospital has opened a u-Health Center in Vladivostok, Russia and has provided remote medical consultation services on a real-time basis to attract many Russian patients. In addition to bringing in more tourist patients, Korean medical institutions are also enthusiastically sharing their medical know-how with the world. Korean doctors have invited the patients in Russia, Mongolia, Vietnam, and the Middle East who could not afford operations and provided free medical services to them. They have also inspired others by helping out in the natural disasters in China and New Zealand. Perhaps, saving the lives of the less fortunate around the world is the true mission of Korea’s medical tourism.