[Graphic News] Medical tourists visiting Korea reach record high

According to the South Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare, the number of foreign national patients visiting Korea reached a record high of 606,000 last year, surpassing pre-pandemic levels.

The report indicates that more than half of these foreign patients sought services at dermatology and plastic surgery clinics. The number of foreign patients visiting Korea last year increased by 2.4 times compared to the previous year, reaching 606,000. This is 1.2 times higher than the 497,000 patients in 2019, the year just before the pandemic, making it the highest number of foreign patients attracted since 2009 when statistics on attracting foreign patients began.

Dermatology clinics received 239,000 patients (35.2 percent), while plastic surgery clinics treated 114,000 patients (16.8 percent), making these the most popular medical services among foreign patients in South Korea.