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No. of Korean medical institutions expanding overseas surges by 21% per year from 2016 to 2024

Published: 06 Jan. 2026, 12:54 Updated: 06 Jan. 2026, 16:35

Buyers consult representatives from medical device companies during the 2025 Medi Expo Korea fair in Daegu on June 20, 2025. [YONHAP]

The number of Korean medical institutions expanding overseas has surged by an annual average of 21 percent over the past nine years, driven largely by demand for dermatologists and cosmetic surgeons.

A total of 249 cases of such international expansion were reported from 2016 to 2024 under the Act on Support for Overseas Expansion of Medical Services and Attraction of International Patients, according to the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (Khidi) on Tuesday.

The law, enacted in 2016, requires domestic medical institutions to notify the Ministry of Health and Welfare when they open or operate medical facilities abroad, dispatch health care personnel or transfer medical technologies or information systems overseas.

The number of cases for overseas expansion rose from 10 in seven countries in 2016 to 45 in 15 countries in 2024 — an average annual increase of 20.7 percent. During this nine-year period, Korean medical professionals expanded into 34 total countries.

By destination, China accounted for the largest number of cases with 80, or 32.1 percent of the total, followed by Vietnam with 37 cases, Mongolia with 20, Kazakhstan and the United States with 11 each and Uzbekistan and Japan with 9 each. By specialty, dermatology and cosmetic surgery accounted for 105 cases, or 42.2 percent of the total. Dentistry ranked second with 38 cases, general hospitals with 19, traditional Korean medicine with 15, rehabilitation medicine with 8 and orthopedics, obstetrics and gynecology and general surgery with 7 each.

The most common method of expansion was establishing or operating medical institutions overseas, with 106 cases, or 42.6 percent of the total. This was followed by consulting services with 71 cases, or 28.5 percent, and dispatching medical staff with 31 cases, or 12.4 percent.

The share of full-scale openings of medical institutions abroad declined during the Covid-19 pandemic — from 36 percent in 2020 to 32.4 percent in 2021 and 27 percent in 2022 — but rebounded to 66.7 percent in 2023 and 2024.

“To strengthen Korea’s competitiveness when it comes to exporting medical services, it is essential to closely analyze trends in overseas expansion and secure advantages for early movers,” Khidi said.

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 JEONG JAE-HONG [[email protected]]