Pedestrians fill a busy Myeongdong shopping street in central Seoul, on Sept. 13.YONHAP
Six in 10 overseas consumers say they would travel to Korea for medical care, as the country's health care gains recognition alongside its booming K-beauty industry.
Korea was also the No. 1 most preferred destination for overseas medical care among respondents interested in seeking treatment abroad, ahead of the United States and Japan, according to a survey released Thursday by the Korea Health Industry Development Institute.
The survey polled 7,100 adults in 25 cities across 16 countries, including the United States, China and Japan, from November to December last year.
Korea’s overall image improved as well. The country’s favorability score rose 4.6 points to 66.4, which pushed the country up six places to No. 4 among the 19 countries evaluated. Respondents most commonly pointed to Korea’s reputation as a technological leader and the quality of its medical services.
That growing appeal was particularly evident in beauty and health care. Korea ranked No. 1 for cosmetics in 12 of the countries surveyed and No. 3 for medical services in 14 countries. Its medical services ranking climbed two places from the previous year.
Among the 5,858 respondents interested in receiving medical care abroad, 37.3 percent chose Korea as their preferred destination, compared to 33.4 percent for the United States and 30.7 percent for Japan. Those who placed Korea among their top three choices most often cited the quality of Korea’s medical services and trust in the country and its hospitals.
Interest could translate into actual travel. Some 61.2 percent said they would consider visiting Korea for medical tourism or medical services, up 1.4 percentage points from the previous year. Interest was particularly strong in Saudi Arabia with 90.8 percent, Indonesia at 89.5 percent and the United Arab Emirates at 82.5 percent.
A view of signage for a plastic surgery and a dermatology clinic in SeoulYONHAP
Dermatology and traditional Korean medicine were the most sought-after areas of care. Korean culture also played a role, with nearly two-thirds of respondents saying it influenced their decision to use Korean medical services.
The findings also point to a gap between interest in Korean medical care and actual visits. Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, the UAE, Britain and Kazakhstan all showed strong interest in traveling to Korea for treatment, but relatively few patients from those countries actually do so.
The Korea Health Industry Development Institute said Korea needs market-specific strategies, including stronger local networks, to turn that interest into visits.
“The results reflect overseas consumers’ positive views of the quality and reliability of Korean medical care,” said Han Dong-woo, head of the institute’s international medical services division. “We will show what Korean medical services can offer through concrete evidence, including treatment outcomes and expertise in specialized fields.”
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.
