Foreign patients at South Korea’s skin clinics up 117 times over 15 years
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In 2024, dermatology accounted for 56.6 per cent of all foreign national patients.
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: UNSPLASH
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SEOUL - The number of foreign patients visiting South Korean dermatology clinics has skyrocketed over the past decade and a half, making skin treatments the most sought-after form of care among overseas visitors to South Korea’s hospitals.
According to statistics provided by the Korea Health Industry Development Institute on Aug 28, 705,044 patients of foreign nationality received dermatology treatments in South Korea in 2024. This marks a 117-fold increase from 2009, when just 6,015 foreign patients sought dermatology care.
While the overall number of foreign nationals seeking medical services in South Korea rose
The shift has been especially notable in recent years.
Until 2019, medical clinics specialising in internal medicine held the largest share of foreign national patients at 19.2 per cent, followed by plastic surgery at 15.3 per cent and dermatology at 14.4 per cent.
By 2023, however, dermatology overtook both fields to become the top specialty for international visitors.
In 2024, plastic surgery accounted for 11.4 per cent of all foreign national patients, while internal medicine accounted for 10 per cent and health screening centres 4.5 per cent.
According to the institute’s data, Japanese nationals made up the largest group of dermatology patients at 43.7 per cent. This was followed by Chinese patients at 24.4 per cent, Taiwanese patients at 9.6 per cent, American patients at 5.7 per cent and Thai patients at 3.5 per cent.
Meanwhile, a recent series of posts by American celebrity Kim Kardashian on Instagram drew attention in South Korea as she shared the dermatological treatments she received during her visit to Seoul.
Through her Instagram posts, Kardashian revealed she visited multiple dermatology clinics in Yongsan-gu in central Seoul and Gangnam-gu in southern Seoul, accompanied by her sister, Khloe Kardashian. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
