South Korea's Medical Tourism Surges, Driven by Wellness and Dermatological Care

South Korea's medical tourism sector achieved a historic ?2.08 trillion in international patient spending in 2025, marking a significant 65.3% year-over-year surge from ?1.25 trillion in 2024. This robust growth, based on kculture.com's analysis of Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) Data Lab records, reveals a profound industry transformation. The nation is now a leading healthcare destination, shifting its focus from invasive surgeries to high-frequency dermatological and wellness tourism, also influenced by a favorable Korean Won exchange rate.

Key Market Dynamics

• Dermatology drove 57.35% of spending. Pharmacies saw 59.11% of visits, reflecting a "souvenir-ization" of medical skincare in patient travel.

• Average spending per visit rose 11.01% to ?500,495.

• December 2025 recorded an all-time high monthly spending of ?244.3 billion, indicating the popularity of "lunchtime procedures" during holidays.

Gi Oh, Founder and CEO of kculture.com, emphasized: "This ?2 trillion milestone confirms that South Korea has successfully transitioned into a global daily wellness and beauty powerhouse."

Bottom Line

1. South Korea's medical tourism demonstrates exceptional growth, pivoting to dermatological and aesthetic services within cross-border healthcare.

2. Economic advantages and innovative patient travel trends, like medical retail "souvenir-ization," are key.

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