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Record 1.17 million foreign patients seek treatment in Korea last year, young Japanese women's skin procedures fuel surge

Published: 08 Oct. 2025, 16:32

The Seoul K-Medi Center in Dongdaemun District, eastern Seoul, is pictured on Sept. 5. [NEWS1]

A record 1.17 million foreign patients sought medical care in Korea last year, driven largely by a surge in young Japanese women flocking to Seoul's dermatology clinics for quick and affordable cosmetic treatments.

Foreign patients came from 202 countries in 2024, marking a 93.2 percent increase from 2023, according to the Korea Health Industry Development Institute's (KHIDI) report on foreign patient attraction.

Japan sent the largest number of visitors for the second consecutive year, with 441,112 patients, accounting for 37.7 percent of all foreign visitors.

Japanese patients most often sought treatment in dermatology, plastic surgery, internal medicine and traditional Korean medicine clinics, leading all other nationalities in those departments.

Among them, dermatology stood out, with 308,116 Japanese patients — roughly 70 percent of the total — visiting Korean dermatology clinics last year. Japanese visitors also made up 44 percent of all foreign dermatology patients in Korea.

Analysts say Korean dermatology clinics appeal to Japanese patients due to their short and affordable cosmetic procedures, such as laser treatments, skin lifting, whitening and pigmentation removal — many of which are completed within one to two hours.

Women accounted for 94 percent of Japanese patients. Nearly half, or 47.4 percent, were in their 20s, followed by those in their 30s at 25.7 percent and those in their 40s at 12.5 percent. A notable 11,674 patients aged 60 and older, or 2.7 percent, also sought care.

While women made up the majority, 19,070 Japanese men visited Korean dermatology clinics, and 3,405 visited plastic surgery clinics.

Japanese tourists experience a foot bath at the Seoul K-Medi Center in Dongdaemun District, Seoul, on Sept. 5. [NEWS1]

Plastic surgery ranked second among Japanese patients, attracting 61,918 visitors, accounting for 14 percent. About 6.3 percent visited internal medicine or family medicine clinics.

Few Japanese patients came for health check-ups, dental care or treatment of serious diseases, such as cancer or rare conditions. Only 977 received medical check-ups in Korea, and 1,285 visited dentists. Just 15 patients came for severe burns, the only major illness category drawing Japanese patients.

"Japanese patients don’t spend much per visit," a director of a large plastic surgery clinic said. "Middle Eastern patients, by contrast, have the highest spending per treatment."

Like many other foreign visitors, Japanese patients typically do not travel outside the capital. A total of 95.5 percent received treatment in Seoul, followed by 1.7 percent in Busan and 1 percent in Incheon. Within Seoul, 42.3 percent went to Gangnam District, 32.8 percent to Seocho District and 13 percent to Jung District.

U.S. patients accounted for the highest number of visits to health screening centers, as well as to orthopedic, ophthalmology, obstetrics and gynecology, ear-nose-throat, and pediatrics clinics, according to the KHIDI.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY SHIN SUNG-SIK [kim.juyeon2@joongang.co.kr]