Inside South Korea’s foreign medical tourism boom, and how K-pop and K-drama act as draws

By Park Ung Cars, ships and semiconductors have long dominated Korea’s list of major exports. Then, cultural content such as K-pop, dramas and foods became major attractions for foreigners. But with a surge in medical tourists, a new contender has been rapidly gaining ground: plastic surgery. In 2023, 114,074 foreigners visited Seoul for cosmetic enhancements. Among the diverse international clientele drawn to the city for plastic surgery this year was Nguyen Thi Huyen, a 26-year-old marketer from Vietnam. “I had facial contouring surgery to make my jawline slimmer. That included cheekbone reduction, jaw angle reduction and chin reshaping,” she says, adding that several of her Vietnamese friends also came to Seoul for cosmetic procedures. “Korea has long been known as a plastic surgery powerhouse to us. These days, it’s common to see young Vietnamese women in their 20s posting on social media about wanting to look like K-pop stars such as Jang Won-young [of girl group IVE] or Karina [of Aespa],” she says. Nguyen is among the millions who are now travelling to Korea for similar reasons. Last year, Korea recorded its highest number of foreign medical tourists, with around 1.17 million visitors, according to the Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare. Dermatology treatments ranked first, accounting for 56.6 per cent of all procedures, totalling 705,000 cases. Plastic surgery followed at 11.4 per cent, with the number of procedures rising 24.3 per cent from 2023. Driven by increasing demand, Korea’s medical tourism market has become a major sector. According to market research firm Imarc Group, its value reached US$1.9 billion last year. Looking ahead, the firm projects the market will grow to US$3 billion by 2033, with an annual growth rate of 5.13 per cent starting next year. “The number of foreign nationals visiting our clinic has increased by 20 to 30 per cent annually since the end of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2022,” Choi Soon-woo, chief surgeon at the View Plastic Surgery clinic in Seoul’s Gangnam district, says. I’m willing to recommend getting surgery in Korea to family and friends because I have no regrets about spending money here Natsagdorj Namuun, Mongolian model Each year, Choi’s clinic welcomes thousands of patients from around the world, including the United States, Japan and Russia. Recently, he observed a notable increase in visitors from Indonesia and China. “More upper-income Indonesians appear to be seeking surgery abroad, as their country’s medical infrastructure doesn’t seem to have kept pace with rising income levels,” he says. With the increase in revenue from foreign patients, which now exceeds domestic revenues, the clinic has hired some 60 coordinators who provide personalised support in 10 languages including Spanish, English and Chinese. The coordinators assist throughout the entire process, from marketing and online consultations to in-person support and post-op care. For foreign medical tourists, returning for follow-up visits is often difficult, making it especially important for them to receive extra attention during procedures and aftercare. To address this, his clinic offers treatments supporting faster recovery. Natsagdorj Namuun, a 30-year-old Mongolian freelance model who underwent rhinoplasty at the clinic in 2022, said she was highly satisfied with the care provided. “I’m willing to recommend getting surgery in Korea to family and friends because I have no regrets about spending money here,” she says, adding that after getting liposuction, she received frequent massages to speed up the softening process and staff gave her thorough explanations about her recovery. She explains that, while surgery in Mongolia would be cheaper because of the current exchange rate, most Mongolians prefer Korea for plastic surgery because the higher success rate lowers the chances of needing revision surgery. Choi agrees that Korea is not the cheapest destination for plastic surgery, but many foreign clients still choose to receive treatment there because of the country’s high standard of medical care. “We see quite a lot of patients who come to us after experiencing complications from surgeries done in other countries,” he says, adding that stories of those who undergo successful revision surgery in Korea often go viral on social media. Lee Yun-hwa, a manager at Seoul Medical Tourism says the city government is aware of the rise in the number of foreign tourists visiting Seoul specifically for plastic surgery and dermatology treatments and is working hard to maintain that growing trend. “Our centre, in partnership with 180 medical institutions, helps connect medical tourists with local clinics more quickly and conveniently. We provide support with entry and exit procedures, introductions to medical facilities, speciality consultations and assistance with making appointments,” she says. Since most cosmetic surgery patients are women, many get more interested when a new K-pop star rises Choi Soon-woo, chief surgeon at View Plastic Surgery The latest trends among foreign tourists seeking cosmetic surgery in Korea are facelift and skin-tightening procedures, according to Choi. He says that, in the past, most visitors came for procedures like breast augmentation or facial contouring, which were more common among younger individuals. But recently, there has been a noticeable increase in tightening and facelift procedures targeting wealthier, older clients. While many countries are skilled at breast augmentation surgery, skin-tightening procedures require greater precision to minimise scarring – an area where Korean doctors excel. Seoul also has a clear edge in bone-related surgeries like facial contouring and double-jaw surgery, which are less common elsewhere. Social media plays a major role in spreading that information, making foreign patients well aware of what Korean doctors excel at. “Japanese visitors, for example, often come after seeing posts on X, where many of them share their surgery experiences. No matter how much you advertise, word of mouth is what ultimately brings people in,” Choi says. But even he has concerns – and they have little to do with hospitals or surgical techniques. He worries K-pop’s global pull is starting to fade. “Many Americans visit Korea for plastic surgery because it’s cheaper than in the US, but K-pop plays a big role too,” Choi says. “Since most cosmetic surgery patients are women, many get more interested when a new K-pop star rises. Lately, though, things have slowed down, so I’m a bit worried.” He still vividly recalls the BTS boom. “It was massive before they enlisted [in the military],” he says. “There’s a clear difference in how many foreigners visit our clinic before and after BTS.” Natsagdorj also became interested in Korea through K-pop. “I used to listen to BigBang, Wonder Girls and Girls’ Generation when I was younger,” she says. “Korean dramas are also hugely popular in Mongolia.” Experts say Korea should look beyond its current strengths and cultivate new sectors to maintain its competitive edge in medical tourism moving forward. “There’s no denying that cosmetic surgery is Korea’s flagship product when it comes to medical tourism,” Chun Myung-sook, a professor of culture and tourism at Konyang University in Nonsan in South Korea, says. “But we need to expand our approach.” She says it is time to rethink medical tourism as not just treatment and surgery, but also as a means of health management and stress relief in today’s fast-paced world. “We need to develop programmes beyond procedures. For example, I associate wellness tourism with places like India and Nepal – Korea needs that kind of offering,” she says. “Rather than focusing only on physical treatments, Korea should incorporate mental well-being and create offerings that reflect our unique cultural identity.” Read the original story at The Korea Times.

Inside South Korea’s foreign medical tourism boom, and how K-pop and K-drama act as draws

Influenced by K-pop and social media, Chinese and Indonesians join Japanese, Americans, Russians seeking facelifts, skin tightening in Korea