Why so many young Japanese women are flying to Korea for skin treatments

A surge in young Japanese women traveling to Korea for cosmetic treatments helped push the country’s medical tourism industry to record levels last year, according to government data presented Tuesday by the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI).

The figures, originally compiled in April, show that 441,000 Japanese patients visited Korea in 2024, a 135 percent spike from the year before. They made up the largest share of the 1.17 million foreign patients treated that year. Nearly three-quarters of the Japanese patients were women in their 20s and 30s, many of whom sought non-invasive dermatological procedures.

“The sharp increase in Japanese patients was a major factor in last year’s foreign patient total,” said Han Dong-woo, bureau of the global healthcare business at KHIDI. “We are seeing more (international) patients coming specifically for dermatology services.”

Medical tourism overall is growing faster than general tourism. Korea welcomed 1.17 million foreign patients last year, up from 610,000 in 2023, nearly doubling in just one year. 

By comparison, the recovery in leisure travel from Japan, China, and Taiwan remains under 90 percent of pre-pandemic levels, while medical travel from those countries has increased two to three times over 2019 levels.

Han pointed to cultural shifts in Japan, including changing perceptions of appearance and aging. “The number of unmarried people is increasing in Japan, and recently we are seeing rising demand for aesthetic procedures among middle-aged men as well.”

Dermatology accounted for more than half of all visits by foreign patients last year.

About 705,000 people -- or 56.6 percent --  sought dermatological care, followed by plastic surgery at 11.4 percent and internal medicine at 10 percent. Dermatology visits rose nearly 195 percent from 2023, according to the report, while demand for traditional Korean medicine also grew by more than 80 percent.

KHIDI estimated that foreign patients and their companions spent a total of 7.5 trillion won, or about $5.4 billion, on medical tourism last year.

The broader economic impact reached 13.9 trillion won when including indirect production effects. Value-added output was estimated at 6.2 trillion won. On average, each foreign patient spent about 6.41 million won, or approximately $4,600.

“The year 2024 marked a turning point as we enter the era of 1 million foreign patients for the first time since the program began," Han said.

Korea launched its official campaign to attract foreign patients in 2009. Since then, more than 5 million people have received treatment in Korean hospitals and clinics. Last year’s patients came from 202 countries, with Japan followed by China (261,000), the United States (102,000), Taiwan (83,000), and Thailand (38,000).

Seoul remained the main destination, attracting 85.4 percent of all foreign patients. But regional growth was strong as well. Busan saw a 134 percent increase in medical tourists, while Jeju’s numbers more than tripled. Han credited local clinics’ integration of skincare, dentistry, and oriental medicine with tourism experiences.