Medical Travel Cost. Sign in
Sahmyook Medical Center — Seoul, South Korea
SM

Sahmyook Medical Center

KR Seoul, South Korea · multi-specialty

76/100 AA Grade

Trust Index 81 · Strong

World's Best Hospitals 2026 #80 in South
How this score is built
Accreditation 30% 84
Clinical outcomes 25% 93
Reputation 20% 64
Transparency 10% 82
Track record 10% 82
Reviews 5% 67

75% of the score is objective and verifiable; the same public formula applies to every clinic.

Photo: Younghopark7 / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0
#80 in South — World's Best Hospitals 2026 from $23 3.9★ KOIHA 의료기관인증 (Korea Institute for Healthcare Accreditation, 급성기 acute-care type)

Every price shows its source and verification; Price data last updated .

Sourced facts KOIHA 의료기관인증 (Korea Institute for Healthcare Accreditation, 급성기 acute-care type) · Directory-verified via 소비자24 (Korea Consumer Agency public registry, consumer.go.kr) -- certificate no. 4-193, acute-care (급성기) accreditation type, status '인증' (certified/active), validity 2024-12-01 to 2028-11-30 (currently valid, 4th accreditation cycle). The registry's own embedded dataset also confirms the hospital's licensed bed count (418) and address (서울특별시 동대문구 망우로 82), matching this target exactly. Corroborated by the hospital's own 병원연혁 (history) page, which logs '2024. ... 보건복지부 4주기 인증의료기관 인증 획득' (2024, 4th-cycle KOIHA accreditation obtained).

Sahmyook Medical Center (삼육서울병원; formerly Seoul Adventist Hospital / 서울위생병원) is a private, non-profit general hospital in Hwigyeong-dong, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, founded in 1908 as 순안병원 (Sunan Hospital) in Sunan, P'yongan-namdo (now near Pyongyang) by American Seventh-day Adventist medical missionaries -- physician Riley Russell and his nurse wife arrived and began treating patients on 24-27 September 1908. The institution moved south, was renamed 경성요양원/경성요양의원 after relocating to its current Seoul site in 1936, reopened as 서울위생병원 in 1947 after WWII, and took its present name, Sahmyook Medical Center, on 1 January 2009. It currently holds 418 licensed beds per the KOIHA/소비자24 registry entry tied to its active accreditation (the hospital's own 2010-dated history page separately cites 434 beds and Korean Wikipedia's infobox cites 426 -- all three cited here rather than guessed at, with the 2024-dated registry figure treated as most current). It holds an active KOIHA acute-care hospital accreditation (cert. 4-193, valid 2024-2028, directory-verified via 소비자24) and has repeatedly earned HIRA Grade-1 quality ratings across COPD, tuberculosis, pneumonia, colorectal-cancer surgery, blood transfusion, coronary-bypass surgery, acute stroke, anesthesia and gastric-cancer surgery, several with a decade-plus consecutive streak. It operates named centers for cardiovascular disease, integrated cancer care, dialysis vascular access, endoscopy (independently accredited), stroke intensive care, and a comprehensive health-screening program, alongside a designated International Healthcare Center / Visa Medical Examination Center (one of Korea's original three hospitals authorized for US visa medical exams since 1957) and a co-located elder-care nursing facility. As of mid-2025 it was designated a 포괄 2차 종합병원 (comprehensive tier-2 general hospital) and began construction of a new hospital wing (신관 증축, groundbreaking April 2025).

Verified against: Sahmyook Medical Center -- official site homepage · Sahmyook Medical Center -- official site, 병원연혁 (institutional history / accreditation timeline) · Sahmyook Medical Center -- official site, 설립목적 (founding purpose statement) · Sahmyook Medical Center -- official site, 종합검진센터 (comprehensive health-screening center) · Sahmyook Medical Center -- official site, 비급여 진료비 (mandated non-covered fee disclosure) · 소비자24 (Korea Consumer Agency) -- 의료기관인증 registry entry, 삼육서울병원 (KOIHA accreditation cert. 4-193, licensed beds 418) · 한국어 위키백과 -- 삼육서울병원 (corroboration: founding year, bed count, governing body) · OpenStreetMap Nominatim geocode -- 삼육서울병원 · commons.wikimedia.org · rankings.newsweek.com · google.com

Ask the hospital

Get the exact price for your case from Sahmyook Medical Center

Your question goes to the hospital's international patient office; the reply lands in your inbox.

Send an inquiry — free
Patient rating
3.9/5
153 Google reviews
Trust Index
81/100
Strong
Data confidence
51%
Partial · 31% verified
Founded
1908
118 yrs
Published prices
5
from $23
Specialties
4
departments

Medical Travel Cost Hospital Index

MHI · Method 1.3 Methodology →

One comparable score per hospital — each metric below is measured against the registry and weighted by the same public formula. Unsourced metrics are excluded, never guessed.

76
AA
Newsweek World's Best #80 in South Korea

100% of the formula backed by data

  • Trust Index 81 Our index 81/100 · vs 137 same-country hospitals · 100th percentile
  • Profile completeness 51 Our index 51% · share of our profile verified vs modeled — informational, not scored
  • Quality & reputation 68 ✓ Verified #80 in country (Newsweek/US-News) · 3.9★ Google · objective outcomes ≫ independent ranking ≫ patient reviews · 95th percentile
  • Accreditation 80 ✓ Verified 7 independent · current JCI ≫ independent bodies (Magnet/CAP/DNV) ≫ historical/on-record
  • Price transparency 50 Imported 5 published · separate pricing axis — informational, not scored in the quality grade
  • Scale 72 ✓ Verified 418 beds · vs 84 sourced hospitals in the registry · 43th percentile

The composite is the weight-normalized mean of available metrics. The same method applies to every hospital in the registry. Machine-readable version below for models & crawlers.

Prices by field

Imported — unverified

The hospital's published procedure prices, grouped by field — open any row to see what's in the price. Room rates and packages are listed separately below.

Orthopedics 2 prices
Manual Therapy ₩35,000–₩100,000 · from $23 Directory data unverified
What's in the price · all-in ≈ $23 Full page →
  • Surgeon & operating room$4
  • Anesthesia$2
  • Hospital stay (5 nights)$11
  • Implants & materials$5
  • Post-op & follow-up$1

Hospital stay ≈ $153/night · 5 nights

Included

  • Surgeon, anesthesia & OR fees
  • 5 nights' hospital stay
  • Standard implants & materials
  • Nursing, meals & standard follow-up

Budget on top

  • + Flights & airport transfer
  • + Hotel before/after admission
  • + Visa & travel insurance
  • + Take-home medications
  • + Physiotherapy / rehab
  • + Extended stay if complications arise
Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy (ESWT) ₩50,000–₩110,000 · from $34 Directory data unverified
What's in the price · all-in ≈ $34 Full page →
  • Surgeon & operating room$7
  • Anesthesia$3
  • Hospital stay (5 nights)$15
  • Implants & materials$7
  • Post-op & follow-up$2

Hospital stay ≈ $153/night · 5 nights

Included

  • Surgeon, anesthesia & OR fees
  • 5 nights' hospital stay
  • Standard implants & materials
  • Nursing, meals & standard follow-up

Budget on top

  • + Flights & airport transfer
  • + Hotel before/after admission
  • + Visa & travel insurance
  • + Take-home medications
  • + Physiotherapy / rehab
  • + Extended stay if complications arise
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) ₩564,000–₩564,000 · from $378 Directory data unverified
What's in the price · all-in ≈ $378 Full page →
  • Surgeon & operating room$92
  • Anesthesia$23
  • Hospital stay (5 nights)$170
  • Implants & materials$58
  • Post-op & follow-up$35

Hospital stay ≈ $153/night · 5 nights

Included

  • Surgeon, anesthesia & OR fees
  • 5 nights' hospital stay
  • Standard implants & materials
  • Nursing, meals & standard follow-up

Budget on top

  • + Flights & airport transfer
  • + Hotel before/after admission
  • + Visa & travel insurance
  • + Take-home medications
  • + Physiotherapy / rehab
  • + Extended stay if complications arise
Cataract Surgery ₩700,000–₩4,360,000 · from $469 Directory data unverified
What's in the price · all-in ≈ $469 Full page →
  • Surgeon & operating room$133
  • Anesthesia$23
  • Hospital stay (5 nights)$211
  • Implants & materials$73
  • Post-op & follow-up$29

Hospital stay ≈ $153/night · 5 nights

Included

  • Surgeon, anesthesia & OR fees
  • 5 nights' hospital stay
  • Standard implants & materials
  • Nursing, meals & standard follow-up

Budget on top

  • + Flights & airport transfer
  • + Hotel before/after admission
  • + Visa & travel insurance
  • + Take-home medications
  • + Physiotherapy / rehab
  • + Extended stay if complications arise
Show all 4 fields Show less
General & other 1 price
Comprehensive Health Screening ₩520,000–₩590,000 · from $348 Directory data unverified
What's in the price · all-in ≈ $348 Full page →
  • Surgeon & operating room$91
  • Anesthesia$27
  • Hospital stay (5 nights)$157
  • Implants & materials$46
  • Post-op & follow-up$27

Hospital stay ≈ $153/night · 5 nights

Included

  • Surgeon, anesthesia & OR fees
  • 5 nights' hospital stay
  • Standard implants & materials
  • Nursing, meals & standard follow-up

Budget on top

  • + Flights & airport transfer
  • + Hotel before/after admission
  • + Visa & travel insurance
  • + Take-home medications
  • + Physiotherapy / rehab
  • + Extended stay if complications arise

Prices are the hospital's published ranges (unverified imports are labelled). The line-item split inside each row is modeled from typical cost structures for this preview — the total is the published price and the hospital-stay line uses the real room rate where known. Actual quotes vary by case & surgeon.

Location & getting here

Verified 2026-07-14

Address, neighbourhood, and how long transit and airports take.

82 Mangu-ro, Hwigyeong-dong, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul 02500, South Korea (서울특별시 동대문구 망우로 82 (휘경동))

Dongdaemun-gu (Hwigyeong-dong) · Seoul, South Korea

Getting here

  • Hoegi 0.7 km · ~8 min (≈, OSM)
  • Hankuk Univ. of Foreign Studies 0.9 km · ~11 min (≈, OSM)

Patient reviews

✓ Google · verified

Google's published rating, put in context against how hospitals actually score.

3.9 / 5

153 Google reviews

Exceptional for a hospital

Top 5%

better than ~95% of hospitals

A hospital's stars run far lower than shops or restaurants — reviews are written amid illness, big bills and stress, and unhappy patients review the most. The average hospital scores just 2.85★ on Google, so This hospital's 3.9★ sits near the top of the range.

Typical hospital2.85★
This hospital3.9★
worst hospital 1.4★best 4.6★

Rating is Google's, shown as reported (153 reviews). The "top %" is an estimate from peer-reviewed hospital-rating studies (Canadian nationwide 2018–19, n=167, mean 2.85★; US hospitals, median 3.0★) — we score against the hospital distribution, not the naive 0–5 scale.

Patients rate Sahmyook Medical Center 3.9★ across 153 Google reviews — exceptional for a hospital, better than roughly 95% of hospitals on our worldwide rating benchmark.

Doctors, nurses & expertise

Sourced

The hospital's published headcount and capacity.

Beds
418
sourced

From the hospital's published figures. Nurse counts and training ratios will appear once sourced.

Accreditations

Independently verifiable

Only independent, checkable accreditations and rankings — published by the accrediting bodies themselves. Self-reported trade awards are deliberately omitted.

KOIHA 의료기관인증 (급성기, 4th cycle)

의료기관평가인증원 (Korea Institute for Healthcare Accreditation), via 소비자24 public registry

Certificate 4-193, status 인증 (certified), valid 2024-12-01~2028-11-30. Registry lists the licensed department roster (개설허가서 기준): 내과, 소아청소년과, 신경과, 정신건강의학과, 피부과, 외과, 흉부외과, 정형외과, 신경외과, 산부인과, 비뇨의학과, 이비인후과, 재활의학과, 가정의학과, 치과, 응급의학과, 마취통증의학과, 영상의학과, 진단검사의학과, 병리과, 직업환경의학과 (21 licensed clinical departments; the hospital's own site and Korean Wikipedia separately cite '29 진료과목' as the total number of clinical departments/subspecialty divisions it operates -- the wider figure likely includes subspecialty divisions not itemized on the base hospital-establishment license, both cited rather than reconciled by guesswork).

HIRA (건강보험심사평가원) 적정성평가 1등급 (Grade 1) -- multiple categories, multi-year consecutive

Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service (HIRA), South Korea

Hospital's own 병원연혁 log cites repeated government Grade-1 quality-of-care ratings: 만성폐쇄성폐질환/COPD (Grade 1, 10 consecutive cycles as of 2025-11), 결핵/tuberculosis (2025-11), 폐렴/pneumonia (Grade 1, 6 consecutive cycles as of 2025-07), 대장암/colorectal-cancer surgery (Grade 1, 6 consecutive cycles as of 2025-04), 수혈/blood transfusion (2025-02), 약제급여/medication-benefit appropriateness (2025-07), 관상동맥우회술/CABG (Grade 1, 7 consecutive cycles as of 2024), 급성기 뇌졸중/acute stroke (2024-07), 마취/anesthesia (Grade 1, 3 consecutive cycles as of 2024-07), 위암/gastric-cancer surgery (2021-05), 유소아 급성중이염 항생제 사용 (2014). These are government quality-of-care ratings, not a hospital-tier accreditation badge, but a real, hospital-cited, repeated track record across two decades.

간호·간병통합서비스 A등급 (Integrated Nursing-Care Service, Grade A) -- 6 consecutive years

Ministry of Health and Welfare / HIRA, South Korea

Hospital's own 병원연혁 page: Grade A for integrated nursing-care service, 6 consecutive years as of 2024-12; not directory-cross-checked beyond the hospital's own page.

응급의료기관 평가 최우수 A등급 (Emergency Medical Institution Evaluation, top-tier Grade A)

Ministry of Health and Welfare / 중앙응급의료센터, South Korea

Hospital-cited on its own 병원연혁 page: 'A등급' / '최우수' rating in national emergency-medical-institution evaluations, including a 2020 result described as '2년 연속 최우수 A등급' and a further 2023 '최우수 A등급'. Government public-service performance evaluation, not directory-cross-checked beyond the hospital's own page.

대한소화기내시경학회 우수내시경실 인증 (Korean Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy -- Accredited Endoscopy Unit)

대한소화기내시경연구재단 / 대한소화기내시경학회

Hospital-cited on its own 병원연혁 page, 4 consecutive re-certification cycles as of 2025-11 (prior cycles logged 2013/2015/2017/2019/2022). Not directory-cross-checked (no public online registry search reachable in this environment).

진단검사의학과 우수검사실 신임인증 (Korean Society of Laboratory Medicine -- Accredited Laboratory)

대한진단검사의학회 / 진단검사의학재단

Hospital-cited on its own 병원연혁 page, multiple re-accreditation cycles logged (2013, 2015, 2017 x3-consecutive-최우수, 2019, 2021 5-consecutive). Not directory-cross-checked.

특수건강진단기관 종합평가 최우수 S등급 (Special/Occupational Health-Examination Institution, top S-grade)

Ministry of Employment and Labor / 안전보건공단, South Korea

Hospital-cited on its own 병원연혁 page, dated 2025-11. Not directory-cross-checked beyond the hospital's own page.

World's Best Hospitals 2026

Newsweek / Statista

#80 in South Korea (listed as "Sahmyook Medical Center")

Independent signals

Sourced

Government quality-inspection grades, independent accreditation/certification, and insurer networks — matched from public registries, not submitted by the hospital.

Government quality grade

  • HIRA HIRA 적정성평가 — 급성심근경색증 (Acute Myocardial Infarction) care quality: 1등급 as of 2026 Source →
  • HIRA HIRA 적정성평가 — 유방암 수술 (Breast Cancer surgery) quality: 2등급 as of 2026 Source →
  • HIRA HIRA 적정성평가 — 위암 수술 (Gastric Cancer surgery) quality: 2등급 as of 2026 Source →
  • HIRA HIRA 적정성평가 — 환자경험평가 (Inpatient Experience Survey) domain scores: 간호사영역:87.81; 의사영역:85.02; 투약 및 치료과정:85.41; 병원환경:86.45; 환자권리보장:85.65; 전반적 평가:88.87 as of 2026 Source →

Ownership & governance

Sourced

Who owns it and how long it's operated — from public records.

Corporate

Ownership
Private, non-profit · Seventh-day Adventist Church-affiliated medical mission institution, operated under 삼육의료원 (Sahmyook Medical Foundation) alongside its sister hospital Sahmyook Busan Hospital (formerly Busan Adventist Hospital); founding purpose statement (설립목적 page) is explicitly a medical-mission charter ('의료선교 사업을 통하여... 지역사회의 건강에 이바지'). The affiliated Sahmyook Dental Hospital (삼육치과병원, www.sadh.co.kr) sharing the historic Sahmyook brand and campus lineage is a separately registered institution, not part of this Medical Center's own licensed departments.
Established
1908 · 118 yrs

From public corporate records. Complaint rates and ethics signals will appear once independently sourced.

Conditions treated here

This hospital

Sahmyook Medical Center treats 59 conditions across 3 fields. What it covers — tap a field for this hospital's own prices.

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) · Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) · Basal cell carcinoma · Bladder Cancer · Brain tumor · Breast cancer · Cervical cancer · Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) · Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) · Colon cancer · Cutaneous lymphoma · Endometrial cancer · Esophageal cancer · Gastric cancer · Head and Neck Cancer · Hepatocellular carcinoma · Hodgkin Lymphoma · Kidney Cancer (Renal Cell Carcinoma) · Leukemia · Lung cancer · Lymphoma · Melanoma · Multiple myeloma · Oral cancer · Ovarian cancer · Pancreatic cancer · Prostate cancer · Rectal Cancer · Soft Tissue Sarcoma · Squamous cell carcinoma · Testicular cancer · Thyroid Cancer

Achilles Tendinitis · ACL Injury (Torn Knee Ligament) · Bunion (Hallux Valgus) · Carpal tunnel syndrome · Frozen Shoulder (Adhesive Capsulitis) · Gout · Osteoarthritis · Osteoporosis · Plantar Fasciitis · Rheumatoid arthritis · Sciatica · Scoliosis · Spinal cord injury · Spinal stenosis · Temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ) · Tennis Elbow (Lateral Epicondylitis)

Age-Related Macular Degeneration · Cataracts · Diabetic Retinopathy · Dry Eye Disease · Glaucoma · Keratoconus · Pterygium (Surfer's Eye) · Ptosis (Drooping Eyelid) · Refractive Error (Myopia, Astigmatism) · Retinal detachment · Strabismus (Crossed Eyes)

A directory of fields this hospital covers — not a claim it treats every case. Suitability is confirmed with the specialist.

Specialists & departments

This hospital

4 specialties across 4 fields. Tap a field for this hospital's prices.

Doctor types, never named individuals.

Compare hospitals in South Korea

Our index

Side by side on what actually decides the choice — our grade, the Newsweek ranking, patient reviews, accreditation, and real verified prices. Best in each row marked ★.

Compared with 3 other South Korea hospitals here, Sahmyook Medical Center carries a B grade (#80 in South — World's Best Hospitals 2026), ranks #4 of 4 on our merit score (72).

Metric This hospital Sahmyook Medical Center Seoul Samsung Medical Center Seoul Asan Medical Center Seoul Severance Hospital (Yonsei University) Seoul
Hospital gradeNewsweek in-country rank where ranked, else our merit score B · 72 AAA · 93 AA · 91 AA · 87
Newsweek rankWorld's Best Hospitals #80 in country #1 in country #2 in country #3 in country
Patient ratingGoogle, sourced 3.9★ 3.9★ 4.0★ 3.8★
Accreditationindependent bodies 7 independent JCI JCI JCI
Published pricesverified, comparable 6 verified 7 verified 2 verified
From pricecheapest verified $94 $154 $409
Profile You're here Open profile Open profile Open profile

Six decision metrics on the same public formula — our grade, the Newsweek ranking, patient reviews, accreditation and real verified prices. "—" means not yet sourced, never guessed. Best in each row marked ★. All hospitals →

Common questions about Sahmyook Medical Center

Straight answers from the data on this page — cost, accreditation, rating, and location.

How much does treatment at Sahmyook Medical Center cost?

Sahmyook Medical Center publishes prices for 5 procedures, starting from about $23. The exact cost depends on the procedure and your case — priced fields include orthopedics, cancer treatment (oncology), eye care (ophthalmology). Every price on this page links to its source and shows whether it is verified.

Is Sahmyook Medical Center accredited?

Yes — Sahmyook Medical Center holds KOIHA 의료기관인증 (급성기, 4th cycle), HIRA (건강보험심사평가원) 적정성평가 1등급 (Grade 1) -- multiple categories, multi-year consecutive, 간호·간병통합서비스 A등급 (Integrated Nursing-Care Service, Grade A) -- 6 consecutive years, 응급의료기관 평가 최우수 A등급 (Emergency Medical Institution Evaluation, top-tier Grade A), 대한소화기내시경학회 우수내시경실 인증 (Korean Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy -- Accredited Endoscopy Unit), 진단검사의학과 우수검사실 신임인증 (Korean Society of Laboratory Medicine -- Accredited Laboratory), 특수건강진단기관 종합평가 최우수 S등급 (Special/Occupational Health-Examination Institution, top S-grade). We list only independent, checkable accreditations published by the accrediting bodies themselves; self-reported trade or marketing awards are excluded.

How is Sahmyook Medical Center rated?

Sahmyook Medical Center has a 3.9-star Google rating from 153 reviews, and scores 76/100 (grade AA) on our independent Trust Index, alongside its rank of #80 in South — World's Best Hospitals 2026. The Trust Index is one public formula applied to every hospital — the

What is Sahmyook Medical Center known for?

Sahmyook Medical Center (삼육서울병원; formerly Seoul Adventist Hospital / 서울위생병원) is a private, non-profit general hospital in Hwigyeong-dong, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, founded in 1908 as 순안병원 (Sunan Hospital) in Sunan, P'yongan-namdo (now near Pyongyang) by American Seventh-day Adventist medical missionaries -- physician Riley Russell and his nurse wife arrived and began treating patients on 24-27 September 1908. The institution moved south, was renamed 경성요양원/경성요양의원 after relocating to its current Seoul site in 1936, reopened as 서울위생병원 in 1947 after WWII, and took its present name, Sahmyook Medical Center, on 1 January 2009. It currently holds 418 licensed beds per the KOIHA/소비자24 registry entry tied to its active accreditation (the hospital's own 2010-dated history page separately cites 434 beds and Korean Wikipedia's infobox cites 426 -- all three cited here rather than guessed at, with the 2024-dated registry figure treated as most current). It holds an active KOIHA acute-care hospital accreditation (cert. 4-193, valid 2024-2028, directory-verified via 소비자24) and has repeatedly earned HIRA Grade-1 quality ratings across COPD, tuberculosis, pneumonia, colorectal-cancer surgery, blood transfusion, coronary-bypass surgery, acute stroke, anesthesia and gastric-cancer surgery, several with a decade-plus consecutive streak. It operates named centers for cardiovascular disease, integrated cancer care, dialysis vascular access, endoscopy (independently accredited), stroke intensive care, and a comprehensive health-screening program, alongside a designated International Healthcare Center / Visa Medical Examination Center (one of Korea's original three hospitals authorized for US visa medical exams since 1957) and a co-located elder-care nursing facility. As of mid-2025 it was designated a 포괄 2차 종합병원 (comprehensive tier-2 general hospital) and began construction of a new hospital wing (신관 증축, groundbreaking April 2025).

Where is Sahmyook Medical Center?

Sahmyook Medical Center is located at 82 Mangu-ro, Hwigyeong-dong, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul 02500, South Korea (서울특별시 동대문구 망우로 82 (휘경동)), Dongdaemun-gu (Hwigyeong-dong), Seoul, South Korea.

Traveling to Seoul, South Korea

Sourced Full South Korea guide →

South Korea crossed the 1-million mark as a medical-travel destination for the first time in 2024: about 1.17 million foreign patients were treated, up 93.2% from 610,000 in 2023 (Ministry of Health and Welfare / KHIDI). The largest patient groups came from Japan, China, the United States, Thailand and Taiwan, and the most-used specialties were dermatology, plastic surgery, internal/general medicine and health screening. Seoul concentrates most volume, drawing patients for aesthetic and dermatologic care, health check-ups, oncology and advanced surgery delivered in JCI-accredited hospitals with dedicated international-patient centers — at prices below the US while the government regulates and publishes standards through KHIDI's Medical Korea program.

Visa
Most Western nationalities (US, UK, EU/Schengen, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Japan) enter visa-free for short medical or tourist visits. The K-ETA (electronic travel authorization) requirement is temporarily WAIVED for 67 countries and territories through 31 December 2026 — eligible travellers enter without applying for a K-ETA; the requirement is expected to resume 1 January 2027. Confirm your nationality's current rule before travelling.
Medical / long-stay visa
For treatment, foreign patients typically use the C-3-3 medical tourism visa (short-term, stays up to 90 days, generally not extendable beyond 90 days except in special circumstances). For treatment or recovery longer than 90 days, patients change to or apply for the G-1-10 long-term medical treatment visa, which can be extended inside Korea; it requires hospital documentation (medical opinion, treatment schedule, payment records). Applications must be tied to a medical institution registered with KTO/KHIDI.
Arrival
From 1 January 2026, all foreign arrivals must file the mandatory digital e-Arrival Card online (within 3 days before arrival) — it replaces the paper disembarkation card and is a declaration, not a visa. Travellers who hold an approved K-ETA are exempt from the arrival card, but nationals of K-ETA-waived countries (US, UK, EU, Japan, etc.) must still complete the e-Arrival Card.
Currency
South Korean Won (KRW, ₩)
Languages
Korean; English widely spoken in international-patient centers at major hospitals, with interpreter services in multiple languages
Safety & recourse
Very safe for visitors · Established malpractice recourse

General guidance — confirm current rules for your nationality with official sources. Verified against: Korea Immigration — K-ETA temporary exemption extended to 31 Dec 2026 (MOFA/KPMG GMS alert) · Korea e-Arrival Card mandatory from 1 Jan 2026 · Medical Korea — medical visa (C-3-3 / G-1-10), KHIDI · MOHW — Korea attracts 1.17 million foreign patients in 2024.

Data & sources

31% verified View verified only

How much of this profile is verified data — every section above carries a chip telling you where its numbers come from.

51%
data confidence · Partial
Verified facts31%
Profile filled94%
All 16 data fields — what's verified, imported or modeled Show more
  • Identity & location ✓ Verified
  • Accreditation ✓ Verified
  • Published prices Imported
  • Languages Not yet collected
  • Patient reviews ✓ Verified
  • Staff & expertise Imported
  • Safety & complications Modeled
  • Accommodation & rooms Modeled
  • Facilities & access Imported
  • Insurance & payment Modeled
  • Inclusive & accessible care Modeled
  • Ownership & governance ✓ Verified
  • Volume & outcomes Modeled
  • International-patient mix Modeled
  • Surgical team depth Modeled
  • Specialties & clinical professions ✓ Verified

Every field is tagged by source state. "Verified" = sourced and checked; "Imported" = real data pending re-verification; "Modeled" = deterministic placeholder for this preview; "Not yet collected" = on our roadmap. Confidence feeds the Trust Index and the finder's verified-only filter. Methodology →

Reviews, staff, accreditations, awards, research and inclusive-care figures are aggregated or modeled from published signals for this preview; real registry, outcome and review data replace them before launch. How we model this →