[Big read] Nip, tuck and cherry blossoms: How South Korea became the world’s beauty clinic

The area around Sinsa subway station in Gangnam, Seoul, is rapidly emerging as a new landmark for medical tourism in South Korea. Along both sides of Dosan-daero, dermatology and plastic surgery clinics line the streets, forming a distinctive “medical beauty street”. Every day, tour buses stop here — not to drop off passengers for shopping or sightseeing, but to bring foreign visitors who come specifically to experience Korean medical aesthetics.

Han Dong Yop, principal physician at Eraser Clinic, told Lianhe Zaobao: “Since this spring, the number of foreign patients has clearly increased. In addition to customers from the US and Australia, growth has been especially strong among tourists from Southeast and East Asia, particularly from Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan.”

Most of these clients learn about the clinics through social media or recommendations from friends and family.

According to the latest data from Korea’s Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI), 1,170,467 foreign patients visited South Korea for medical treatment in 2024. This is nearly double the 605,768 recorded in 2023, marking the highest figure since 2009. By the end of 2024, the cumulative number of foreign patients who had sought medical care in South Korea surpassed 5.05 million.

South Korea launched its programme in 2009 to specifically attract foreigners for medical treatment. In the 10 years following the launch, the number of foreign patients visiting South Korea grew at an average annual rate of about 23.5%. Numbers plummeted in 2020 due to the pandemic, but within just three years they had fully recovered, and 2024 even saw a record high.

In 2024, foreign patients came from 202 countries and regions. Japan ranked first with 441,000 visitors (37.7%), followed by China with 260,000 (22.3%). Singapore ranked sixth, with 27,000 visitors, and its growth was particularly striking, surging 97.5% year-on-year.

The tourism boom in South Korea has further fueled the rise of medical aesthetics. According to the Korea Tourism Organisation, the country welcomed 16.3 million visitors in 2024, an increase of more than 5.2 million over the previous year.

Han Dong Yop revealed that many foreign patients originally came to Korea just for sightseeing and decided to try skin treatments along the way. Because they were satisfied with the results, many began flying back regularly. This kind of “repeat medical beauty consumption” has gradually become a new trend.   

In April this year, Singaporean administrative assistant Huang Liping, 34, underwent cosmetic surgery in Korea. She told Lianhe Zaobao that her procedure was actually unplanned. She had arranged a trip with friends to see the cherry blossoms, but shortly before they left, one friend decided to get double eyelid surgery. After doing extensive research together, Huang decided to try rhinoplasty.

She laughed: “I’m actually not a K-drama fan — I really just came for the flowers. But the surgery results were natural and met my expectations, so two months later I flew back again for eyelid revision.”

Although cosmetic clinics are available in Singapore, Huang felt that “Korean doctors are more professional, with finer divisions of specialisation, which makes patients feel reassured.”

Another Singaporean, administrative secretary Yang Yanmei, 48, went to Korea in April for ten days, just for medical aesthetics. She had double eyelid surgery and an upper eyelid lift, which cost around S$9,000 (US$7,000). She said the expense was worthwhile.

Yang explained that her decision was influenced by the Korean Wave and by her friends. “If I had the same surgery in Singapore, it might have cost nearly double.”

According to data from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, nearly 920,000 foreign patients used overseas credit cards to pay for medical treatment in Korea in 2024, with the total amount reaching 1.4 trillion won (about US$1 billion). Of this, spending on plastic surgery and dermatology alone amounted to 944.9 billion won, far more than sectors such as department stores, duty-free shops and hotels.

In late July, Han Dong-woo, director of KHIDI’s International Medical Division, told Korean media that these figures are conservative estimates based on Korean credit card company data.

“Actual expenditures may be significantly higher when including payments made through [Chinese] platforms such as Alipay and UnionPay or in cash — especially given that approximately 260,000 Chinese patients visited Korea last year.”

Experts believe that the growing popularity of Korean medical aesthetics and cosmetics is largely due to the global spread of K-pop and Korean culture, which has continuously boosted international trust and favourable perceptions of Korea’s beauty industry. This in turn has driven the growth of Korean cosmetic exports and accelerated the development of the medical aesthetics market.

Kim Dong-hyun, head of the overseas market division at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, said: “Korean cosmetics and other beauty-related industries have established a strong reputation and trustworthy image in international markets. This is one of the main reasons why so many foreigners frequently choose dermatology and plastic surgery clinics here.”

In 2024, dermatology consultations accounted for more than half of foreign patient visits to South Korea for the first time, reaching 56.6%. This surpassed plastic surgery, making dermatology the most sought-after field. A total of 705,044 foreign visitors received dermatological treatments — nearly triple the number from the previous year. By contrast, only 140,000 foreign patients opted for plastic surgery, less than one-fifth of the dermatology total.    

Han Hye-young, a doctor from Highly Clinic Dermatology, told Lianhe Zaobao: “The reason dermatology is so popular is actually very simple—it’s safe and effective. An injection or a laser procedure takes less than an hour and requires almost no downtime. Many tourists come for treatment in the morning and go sightseeing in the afternoon. Even without advertising on social media, we always have foreign clients walking in.”

American reality TV star Kim Kardashian also recently shared her experience of receiving skin treatments in Korea on social media, further fueling the trend.

Medical beauty broker Oh Li-ra, 42, has worked in the industry for 20 years. “In the early 2000s, the Korean Wave drove the plastic surgery industry into its golden age. Cheekbone and jaw reduction surgeries were once hugely profitable projects, and many hospitals were literally counting money late into the night.”

She noted that during that period, social trends made people aspire to look like K-drama stars, with many wanting to resemble actresses like Lee Young-ae or Song Hye-kyo. “But as beauty standards gradually shifted toward naturalness and individuality, the appeal of cookie-cutter celebrity faces began to fade.”

Oh believes that the Korean plastic surgery industry is undergoing a structural transformation. “Domestic demand has declined, while the number of doctors has increased, driving prices for surgical procedures down. As a result, hospitals have had to actively expand into overseas markets. Meanwhile, dermatological treatments with their quick results and high rate of repeat visits have gradually replaced traditional plastic surgery as the new pillar of medical tourism.”

Her own business has also completed its transition, now focusing on injections and laser procedures. She said: “Coming to Korea for beauty injections is no longer just about medical treatment — it has become a kind of cultural tourism product, like enjoying fine dining or shopping for luxury brands.”

With surging demand for medical aesthetics in Korea, a new service has quietly emerged — “medical concierges”, who introduce foreign clients to clinics and assist them throughout the process, becoming a new link in the industry chain.

One of them is Dominic Phua, 34, a Singaporean and former Singapore Airlines flight attendant. He moved to Korea 12 years ago and has since worked in public relations firms and plastic surgery hospitals. After long exposure to the industry, he noticed that some hospitals provided insufficient post-operative care and, in some cases, even engaged in overcharging.

In 2024, he founded Gangnam Medical Concierge, which now collaborates with more than 200 hospitals covering dermatology, plastic surgery, ophthalmology and dentistry. The service helps foreigners who do not speak Korean receive medical treatments in Korea with peace of mind.

His company now connects over 100 overseas clients with procedures every month, with the largest numbers coming from the US, Singapore and Malaysia. The company matches patients with suitable accredited clinics and doctors based on their personal needs, and also provides airport transfers, hotel arrangements, translation services and full accompaniment throughout the treatment process. All costs are covered through referral fees paid by the partner hospitals and clinics, with subsidies from the Korean government, so clients do not have to pay the company directly.

Phua said: “The work is exhausting, but client satisfaction is the greatest reward. This is a job where a single mistake could ruin someone’s life, so I have to give my utmost to ensure nothing goes wrong.”

While there are no official statistics yet on this emerging service, Korean industry insiders told the media that such concierge offerings have surged since the beginning of this year, with competition growing increasingly fierce. 

Cost-effectiveness has long been the core competitive edge of South Korea’s medical aesthetics industry. For example, the average price of filler injections in South Korea is between 200,000 and 300,000 won, about one-third of the cost in Japan. Botox and laser procedures are also generally 20% to 30% cheaper than in Japan. Coupled with advanced medical technology and comprehensive support services, South Korea has maintained strong international appeal for years.

That advantage, however, is now under threat. The South Korean government recently announced that starting 1 January 2026, the 10% tax refund for foreigners undergoing medical aesthetic treatments will be scrapped. According to the Ministry of Economy and Finance and KHIDI, tax refunds for beauty and plastic surgery services alone amounted to 95.5 billion won in 2024.

The government explained that since the tax refund system was introduced in 2016, it has gradually strayed from its original patient-centred intent. In many cases, part of the refund has been reclaimed by hospitals under the guise of “marketing support fees”, meaning patients received much less benefit in practice.

The Korean Association of Plastic Surgeons has warned that tax refunds are a key mechanism for attracting foreign patients. If removed, Korea’s price competitiveness will be significantly weakened, and customer flow may shift to other countries. The association cited the example of the UK: after abolishing its shopping tax refund in 2021, London quickly lost its status as the “world’s top shopping street”, with much of the spending redirected to Paris and Milan.

What makes the situation tougher is that other countries are aggressively competing in medical tourism. Thailand is introducing a one-year medical visa; Japan is stepping up its promotions in Southeast Asia, emphasising high standards and safety; Malaysia attracted 850,000 medical tourists in 2022, up 52% year-on-year; and the Bo’ao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone in Hainan received 414,000 medical tourists in 2024, a 36.8% increase.

Still, five doctors interviewed by Lianhe Zaobao stressed that while tax refunds are indeed a mechanism to attract clients, they are not Korea’s fundamental advantage. Surveys show that only about 4 percent of foreign patients choose Korea purely for lower prices; most value its medical technology, safety and brand trustworthiness.

These five doctors, who spoke on condition of anonymity, believe that if Korea uses this transition period to strengthen its medical quality, brand credibility and medical ethics, it will not only retain its current clientele but also attract higher-end and longer-term international patients. Korea’s real challenge, they argue, is not just how to maintain cost-effectiveness, but whether it can shift from relying on “low-price advantage” to becoming a “benchmark of quality”.

The high profitability of dermatology and plastic surgery has made these specialties increasingly attractive, indirectly causing structural imbalances in South Korea’s healthcare system: manpower in essential medical fields remains chronically short, while the aesthetic medicine sector rapidly expands.

According to data from the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, in 2022 the Seoul metropolitan area had only 1.86 essential medical specialists per 1,000 people (covering internal medicine, general surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatrics, emergency medicine, thoracic surgery, neurology, and neurosurgery). Outside the capital region, the figure was just 0.46, which is extremely scarce. The combination of low pay, heavy workload and high risk has been the main driver behind doctors shifting toward the capital area and higher-earning specialties.

In stark contrast, the number of plastic surgeons and dermatologists has surged. Between 2012 and 2022, the number of plastic surgeons rose from 1,003 to 1,769, while dermatologists increased from 1,435 to 2,003 — both up by more than 30%. The trend of general practitioners without residency training entering the medical aesthetics market has also become increasingly prominent. From 2018 to 2022, 979 new general practitioner clinics opened, with 21.9% offering dermatology and 10.7% offering plastic surgery.

An industry insider told Lianhe Zaobao: “Among young doctors, there’s a saying: you don’t need to go into essential medical fields with low pay and heavy stress — you can still find employment without specialist training.” Seeing the low barriers and high returns in aesthetics, many young doctors skip specialist training altogether and directly open clinics offering aesthetic services.

In Korea, doctors are divided into two categories: general practitioners and specialists. General practitioners can open a clinic with just a medical licence, while specialists must complete four to five years of internship and residency training and obtain state-recognised specialist certification before they can use titles such as “Dermatology Specialist” or “Plastic Surgery Specialist” on their signage.

Although most general practitioners do not break the law — since they refrain from falsely calling themselves specialists — the public often cannot tell the difference, which adds confusion to the market. Medical beauty broker Oh Li-ra cautioned: “Foreigners seeking treatment in Korea should always check whether the doctor has specialist qualifications to safeguard their right to informed choice and ensure treatment safety.”

This article was first published in Lianhe Zaobao as “天下爱美者趋之若鹜 韩式医美厉害在哪里？”.

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