Seoul attracts 1 million medical tourists in 2024

The number of foreign national medical tourists to Seoul reached an all-time high of almost 1 million in 2024, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said Thursday.

According to the city government, a total of 999,642 foreign national patients visited Seoul last year, a 2.1-fold increase from 2023.

It added that the figure was over 3.1 times higher than prepandemic figures in 2019, when 320,284 overseas patients were treated in Seoul. The number declined significantly following the outbreak of COVID-19, dropping to 66,507 in 2020.

More than 64 percent of the international patients sought dermatology treatments, followed by plastic surgery and inpatient medicine services in 2024.

Foreign patients spent a total of 1.2 trillion won ($862 million) at medical facilities in Seoul using credit cards that were issued abroad. This spending accounts for 85.7 percent of all nationwide medical expenses paid by foreign patients, totaling 1.4 trillion won.

The city government views the expansion of medical institutions serving international patients, which grew from 920 in 2020 to 1,994 in 2024, as a major factor behind the increase in overseas medical tourists.

One out of every 10 medical facilities in Seoul actively attracts foreign patients. By district, 1 in 3 clinics in Gangnam-gu and 1 in 4 clinics in Seocho-gu provide medical services to foreign national patients.

The city government official also added that many overseas visitors recently started to consider Korean medicine clinics a go-to tourist destination for trips to Seoul, after “KPop Demon Hunters” caught international viewers’ attention with scenes featuring the preparation of Korean herbal medicine.

“This trend is expected to further accelerate the growth of medical tourism in the city. Since 8.82 million foreign tourists visited Korea in the first half of this year, an increase of nearly 1.12 million compared to the same period last year, the number of medical tourists will also increase with the rise in overall foreign travelers and is likely to surpass 1 million by the end of this year,” the city government official said in a press release.