Record medical tourism spotlights Korea's push for sustainability

Kim Jin-kuk, president of the Korea Medical Tourism Promotion Association (KMTPA), speaks during the K-Medical Tourism Roundtable 2026 in Jung District, Seoul, Thursday. Courtesy of KMTPA

The K-Medical Tourism Roundtable 2026 convened Thursday, bringing together government officials and industry leaders to discuss shifting Korea's medical tourism strategy toward a more sustainable and competitive ecosystem.

Co-hosted by the Korea Medical Tourism Promotion Association (KMTPA) and the Tourism Sciences Society of Korea, the forum topics ranged from Seoul's medical strengths to the structural challenges threatening the industry's long-term growth.

“Korea's medical credibility and competitiveness are now recognized worldwide,” Kim Dae-hyun, second vice minister of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said in his congratulatory remarks, citing a record 2.01 million foreign patient arrivals last year.

Kim added that the country's medical tourism industry is growing beyond treatment into a high value-added sector combining beauty, wellness and tourism, giving foreign tourists more diverse reasons to visit.

Kim Jin-kuk, president of the KMTPA, said in a keynote speech that Korea's medical tourism sector remains strong but has yet to reach its full potential.

“The tourism industry has entered an era of global competition. What sets Korea apart? The answer is beauty and medical tourism,” Kim said.

Kim added that medical tourism holds the key to addressing the headwinds facing the country, including an aging society and shrinking regional economies.

“Attracting one medical tourist means seven others work with them, including interpreters, nurses, travel agents and hotel staff. When this model spreads to other regions, medical tourism can become a powerful engine of local economic revival,” Kim said.

Last year, foreign medical tourists generated an estimated 22.8 trillion won ($14.6 billion) in economic ripple effects in Korea, according to the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics & Trade.

Seoul's medical infrastructure is overwhelming in scale, Kim added, citing six advanced general hospitals and more than 2,000 specialized clinics packed within a 10-kilometer radius in Seoul. To strengthen competitiveness, Kim called for a central coordinating authority to lead the effort, noting that fragmented oversight across government bodies remains a barrier.

Hong Seung-wook, director of global healthcare business at the Korea Health Industry Development Institute, said the industry's rapid growth has been dangerously concentrated in too few areas.

With dermatology and plastic surgery accounting for 68 percent of foreign patients and the greater Seoul area for 90 percent of foreign visits, Hong said the industry remains structurally fragile, leaving it vulnerable to external shocks.

To address that fragility, Hong said the industry should expand into severe disease treatment and digital healthcare and move to diversify away from its dependence on beauty procedures.

It should also expand beyond Seoul to other regions by linking their unique local tourism assets, and build broader ties with industries such as pharmaceuticals and digital health, he said.

Ban Jun-sub, president of the Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons, said the country's cluster of plastic surgery clinics has an ecosystem unlike anywhere else in the world.

With more than 500 clinics and 1,000 specialists largely packed into Gangnam and Seocho districts, Ban said that density fuels constant academic exchange and the movement of doctors between hospitals.

To strengthen competitiveness, Ban called for reviving and permanently extending the value-added tax refund system, reforming visa procedures through an escrow deposit mechanism and a fast-track process for prepaid medical fees, and tightening registration standards and platform fee oversight.