Where in Korea are foreign patients actually treated?

Almost every guide to treatment in Korea will tell you about Gangnam. Far fewer tell you what the government actually publishes, which is a national picture broken down by province and metropolitan city — and nothing finer than that.

Where in Korea are foreign patients actually treated?

Seoul. In 2025 Seoul treated 1.76 million foreign patients, 87.2% of the national total of 2.01 million, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Busan followed at 3.8%, Gyeonggi Province at 2.7%, Jeju at 2.3% and Incheon at 1.3%. No other region reached one percent.

Why is Seoul so concentrated?

Because the registered institutions are there. Of the medical institutions registered to treat foreign patients in 2025, 2,555 — 62.5% of the national total — were in Seoul. The Ministry also cites clustered transport, tourism and medical infrastructure, and rising dermatology demand, as reasons access is easiest there.

A concentration of registrations is not a statement about quality, and the Ministry does not present it as one. What the figures do establish is that a foreign patient arriving in Korea is overwhelmingly likely to be treated in Seoul, and to be treated at a small clinic rather than a large hospital.

Which regions grew fastest in 2025?

Busan, which grew 151.5% year on year, followed by Jeju at 114.7% and Daegu at 31.4%. These are growth rates on small bases — Busan still accounts for only 3.8% of the national total — but they are the fastest-moving regions outside the capital area, and the Ministry singles them out.

Do the official statistics say anything about Gangnam or other districts?

No. The Ministry of Health and Welfare publishes this data by province and metropolitan city — Seoul, Busan, Gyeonggi and so on — not by district. There is no official figure for Gangnam-gu, Apgujeong or Myeongdong. Any district-level percentage you see is someone’s estimate, not a government statistic.

Checking a clinic’s registration yourself

Registration to treat foreign patients is a legal requirement in Korea, not a marketing badge, and the register is public. The Korea Health Industry Development Institute operates the Ministry’s foreign patient information system at medicalkorea.or.kr, where registered institutions and registered agencies can be looked up, including by region.