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Orthopedics · Gwangju, South Korea

Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy (ESWT) cost in Gwangju

Procedure from

$47

All-in from United States

≈ $2,230

49
BB

MPI · Procedure Index · how

Procedure price range · Gwangju

Cheaper than 53% of cities pricing this

$47lowest $78typical $110highest

Updated 2026-07-17 · How we collect & verify prices Compare clinics ↓

In plain words · Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy (ESWT) is a treatment given over multiple sessions rather than a single operation.

Extracorporeal shockwave therapy for musculoskeletal conditions (체외충격파)

Procedure from
$47
lowest listed
Typical
$78
city midpoint
All-in
≈ $2,230
from United States
MPI Index
49
BB
Clinics
2
in Gwangju

Top hospital in Gwangju · Newsweek #24 in South Korea

#24 Chonnam National University Hospital BB 3.6★ KOIHA 의료기관인증 (Korea Institute for Healthcare Accreditation) — 상급종합병원/급성기 (tertiary hospital, acute-care) certification

Chonnam National University Hospital (전남대학교병원) is a public national-university tertiary teaching hospital (상급종합병원) at 42 Jebong-ro, Dong-gu, Gwangju, tracing its founding to 1910 as a provincial public clinic and taking its current name in 1988; it is the teaching hospital of Chonnam National University College of Medicine. It is one of five institutions on a shared network/CMS alongside its Hwasun campus (화순전남대학교병원, a separate city and a separately accredited entity), a dedicated Dental Hospital, the Bitgoeul Hospital, and a Children's Hospital — and is unrelated to the similarly-romanized Chungnam National University Hospital in Daejeon. It holds current KOIHA acute-care/tertiary accreditation (cert 4-25, valid 2023-02-07 to 2027-02-06, directory-verified via 소비자24); no JCI accreditation is claimed or found. Its own 2026 facilities dashboard reports 1,096 total operating beds on a 38,200 sq-m site with 122,950 sq-m of floor space, while its KOIHA registry entry separately lists 1,080 licensed beds — both cited rather than averaged. It runs designated centers for cardio-cerebrovascular disease, digestive disease, organ transplantation, kidney disease, emergency medicine, regional trauma, and international patients, and has been named to Newsweek's World's Best Hospitals / World's Best Specialized Hospitals lists in multiple recent years. Its own mandated 비급여 (non-covered) fee disclosure carries manual therapy (59,000-77,000 won/day), musculoskeletal ESWT (90,000-164,000 won per session, first vs. additional), and a flat-priced non-contrast brain MRI (770,000 won) — but, like several peer national-university hospitals, no stand-alone plain diagnostic CT line item, since diagnostic CT is largely NHIS-covered rather than a self-pay 비급여 item. Its dental-implant pricing is disclosed as two separate fee-schedule components (a surgical fixture-placement fee and a crown/prosthesis fee, each split across two internal code series) rather than one bundled per-tooth figure, giving a combined observed range of roughly 1.17-3.48 million won depending on tier. Its Health Promotion Center separately publishes self-pay screening-program prices from a base '필수 건강진단' tier (550,000/590,000 won, non-sedated) up to a 'Premium' precision bundle (3.8-4.07 million won, billed on top of the base checkup); no separate foreigner-package pricing was found.

Procedure in Gwangju from $47 — full price data below.

See profile & prices →

Procedure price in Gwangju, local currency

Verified

The published market range in local currency, with today's conversions.

₩70,000–₩164,000

≈ $47–$110 · €41–€97 · £35–£82 · A$68–A$159 — converted at the ECB via frankfurter.dev rate of 2026-07-17

Vs home markets

  • United States Not yet sourced
  • United Kingdom Not yet sourced
  • Australia Not yet sourced
  • Germany Not yet sourced

Spread 134% across 3 data points — a wide range means quotes are negotiable and case-dependent.

Price history — snapshotted since 2026-07-19; the trend line appears with the next snapshot.

Currency exposure — bills are in KRW: a 5% move against your currency shifts the mid-range by ≈ $4 either way. Converted at the ECB via frankfurter.dev rate of 2026-07-17.

Directory data Private market package

Verified against published clinic prices.

Clinic prices for extracorporeal shockwave therapy (eswt)

Imported

Sorted by lowest starting price. "Verified" means we manually checked the price against the clinic's published source.

Clinic Range (┊ city median) Price Status Src As of
VHS Gwangju Hospital ₩70,000–₩140,000 Unverified updated 2026-07-17
Chonnam National University Hospital ₩90,000–₩164,000 Unverified updated 2026-07-17

How these prices are collected and verified

Hospitals & clinics in Gwangju

Best first

The best hospitals first — Newsweek World's Best national top 10 lead, then our connected-chain grade. Re-rank by cheapest, rating or reviews.

Destination-safety factor for South Korea: ×1.00 — Level 1 — Exercise Normal Precautions (the lowest advisory tier) (US State Dept Travel Advisory, 2025-08).

  • Chonnam National University Hospital #24 Sourced profile

    multi-specialty KOIHA 의료기관인증 (Korea Institute for Healthcare Accreditation) — 상급종합병원/급성기 (tertiary hospital, acute-care) certification 3.6 Google 1,096 beds

    BB 72 Grade
  • VHS Gwangju Hospital #130 Sourced profile

    multi-specialty 의료기관인증 (Medical Institution Accreditation) — KOIHA, 4th cycle 5.0 Google 577 beds

    B 72 Grade

Ask the hospital

Get the exact price for your case from Chonnam National University Hospital

Your question about extracorporeal shockwave therapy (eswt) goes to the hospital's international patient office; the reply lands in your inbox.

Send an inquiry — free

All-in trip cost

Modeled preview

Procedure plus flights, hotel, transport and medication from United States — the number that actually decides it.

Procedure (from)
$47
Flights (round-trip) est.
$1,300
Hotel · 5 nights est.
$450
Local transport est.
$110
Medication est.
$320
All-in ≈
$2,230

Flights are estimated round-trip economy from United States (change in the header). Hotel, transport and medication are Medical Travel Cost estimates, not quotes. Procedure is the lowest price on this page.

Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy (ESWT) in other cities

Imported

The same procedure across the registry — cheapest first. Cities we haven't priced yet show no number, never a guess.

City From vs Gwangju MPI Specialists
Busan South Korea $20 -57% 14
Seoul South Korea $21 -56% 30
Daegu South Korea $23 -50% 9
Incheon South Korea $25 -47% 9
Taipei Taiwan $31 -34% 6
Daejeon South Korea $47 0% 5
Gwangju This page South Korea $47 baseline BB 2
New Taipei Taiwan $62 +32% 2
Istanbul Türkiye not yet priced · being collected

Cheapest starting price per city, converted to your currency. ★ = lowest in the registry; cheapest ≠ best — the MPI column grades each market as its data lands. "—" is never guessed.

What's in the price — and why it varies

Modeled preview

A typical cost anatomy over the published total, and the factors that move a real quote up or down.

Typical cost anatomy

≈ $78
  • Surgeon & operating room$21
  • Anesthesia$8
  • Hospital stay (5 nights)$17
  • Implants & materials$25
  • Post-op & follow-up$7

Usually 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

What moves the price

  • 1Implant brand and fixation method
  • 2Number of sessions or cycles in the course
  • 3Drug or protocol generation used
  • 4Inpatient vs outpatient delivery
  • 5Monitoring and lab work between sessions
Published package inclusions per hospitalwhat each hospital's package price covers vs à-la-carte — the line-by-line comparison that settles quotes Not yet sourced

The split is modeled from typical cost structures; the total is the published price. Itemized hospital quotes replace this as they're sourced.

What you're buying — the spec sheet

Modeled preview

The countable facts of the purchase itself — setting, anesthesia, theatre time, visits and materials. Hospital-published specs replace the typicals as they're collected.

Setting
Outpatient — no hospital admission (typical)
Anesthesia
None for most sessions (typical)
Session length
Not yet sourcedhospital-published — collected per hospital
Visits
Multiple sessions — the course, not one visit, is the treatment
Device / materials
Not yet sourcedwhat's implanted or used — collected per procedure

Typicals from the same model as the recovery timeline — your surgeon's plan for your case is the spec that counts. Every sourced spec raises this page's MPI coverage.

Recovery timeline

Modeled preview

Plan ~8 days in South Korea before flying home; treatment runs as a course over repeat visits, not a single recovery. Your doctor confirms your plan.

  1. Day −1

    Arrive · consultation, tests & final treatment plan

  2. Day 0

    First treatment session · outpatient

  3. Day 3

    Walking & light activity comfortably

  4. Day 7

    First follow-up check with your doctor

  5. Day 7

    Typically cleared to fly home

  6. Day 7

    Back to desk work

  7. Day 30

    Exercise & strenuous activity again

  8. Day 90

    Typical treatment course completed

Back home — who takes care of you after

  • Before flying home Final review around day 7, before you're cleared to fly
  • First weeks back home Between-cycle monitoring can often be done locally — agree the split up front
  • Take with you Full operative notes, imaging and implant/protocol details — ask before discharge
  • Remote follow-up offered Not yet sourced
  • Complication support window Not yet sourced

The two hospital-policy rows are collected per hospital — remote follow-up and complication support are decision data, so they're never assumed.

Outcomes & success benchmarks

Not yet sourced

The outcome metrics that will grade this procedure in the Medical Travel Cost Index — filled from clinical registries and hospital-published data, never guessed.

0 of 6 outcome metrics sourced — each one raises this page's MPI coverage Show slots
  • Success rate vs published international benchmarks Not yet sourced
  • Complication rate vs WHO/OECD averages Not yet sourced
  • Revision / re-treatment rate vs registry average Not yet sourced
  • Patient-reported satisfaction vs same procedure across the registry Not yet sourced
  • Procedures per year in this market hospital-published volumes · national statistics Not yet sourced
  • Annual volume at the busiest hospital here volume–outcome proxy · hospital-published Not yet sourced

Empty slots are deliberate — a number appears here only with a source behind it, never guessed.

South Korea for medical travel — safety, recourse & visa

Sourced Full South Korea guide →

What matters if it goes wrong, and what it takes to get there — country-level, verifiable guidance in one place.

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
Traveller safety
Very safe for visitors
Legal recourse
Established malpractice recourse
Insurance
Medical-travel & complication cover widely available
International patients
Hospitals accustomed to international patients

General guidance from public sources — confirm current rules for your nationality. 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.

Risks & the questions to ask

Modeled preview

A planning frame — the risks are confirmed for your case by the specialist. The checklist is what an expert would ask before booking anywhere.

Common & temporary

Fatigue, nausea and session-day side effects

Serious & rare

Infection or reactions needing treatment pauses

How to de-risk

Ask how side effects are monitored between sessions and who to contact 24/7

Eligibility — is this even for you?

Typical candidacy criteriaclinical guidelines · sourced per procedure Not yet sourced
Common contraindicationswhat typically rules it out — sourced per procedure Not yet sourced

Ask the specialist before you book

  1. 1How many of this exact procedure did you perform last year?
  2. 2What is your complication and revision rate for it?
  3. 3Who manages my aftercare once I fly home, and how?
  4. 4What exactly is included in the quoted price — and what isn't?

Framework guidance modeled by procedure type — per-procedure clinical risk data replaces it as it's sourced.

Alternatives to extracorporeal shockwave therapy (eswt)

Directory

What's typically considered instead, and when — suitability is a specialist's call, not a price comparison.

  • Physiotherapy & conservative care Typically chosen first-line for many joint and spine problems.
  • Arthroscopic (keyhole) option Typically chosen when damage is limited and repairable.

Linked alternatives are priced in this city; the rest join as their pages go live.

Conditions & specialists for this

Directory

How this procedure connects to the conditions it treats and the specialists who perform it in Gwangju.

Dots carry the lens colors — red opens a condition page, teal a specialist page, both priced for Gwangju.

Medical Travel Cost Procedure Index

MPI · Method 1.3 Methodology →

One comparable grade per procedure page — each metric measured against the price registry and weighted by the same public formula. Unsourced metrics are excluded, never guessed.

49
BB

80% of the formula backed by data

  • Price competitiveness 53 Imported cheaper than 53% of cities · vs 15 cities pricing this procedure · 53th percentile
  • Savings vs home Not sourced — · needs a home-market price to compare
  • Price evidence 54 Imported 3 data points · sourced/verified price rows behind the range
  • Provider choice 24 Imported 2 clinics · providers offering it in this city
  • Provider trust 62 Our index 62/100 top · best provider's Trust Index

Same method as every hospital and procedure page in the registry. Machine-readable version below for models & crawlers.

Common questions

Sourced + modeled

Short answers built from the numbers on this page — costs, stay length, safety and verification.

How much does extracorporeal shockwave therapy (eswt) cost in Gwangju?

The published range in Gwangju is ₩70,000–₩164,000 (typically around $78). Clinic quotes vary by case.

How long do I need to stay in Gwangju?

Plan roughly 8 days in South Korea for the typical case — arrival and consultation, the procedure, and follow-up before you're cleared to fly. Back to desk work around day 7 (modeled typical; your doctor confirms).

Is it safe to have extracorporeal shockwave therapy (eswt) in South Korea?

Very safe for visitors for visitors, and established malpractice recourse. Hospital-level safety signals (accreditation, Trust Index) are listed per hospital below — availability and outcomes always depend on the individual provider.

Which hospitals in Gwangju offer extracorporeal shockwave therapy (eswt)?

2 orthopedics and multi-specialty providers are listed for Gwangju, with a top Trust Index of 62/100. We list them as a directory — per-hospital availability is confirmed on each hospital's own page.

Are these prices verified?

Yes — the Gwangju price range is verified against a published clinic source (derived from 2 sourced hospital prices in gwangju). Per-clinic prices are added and verified next.

Data & sources

22% verified Methodology →

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

49%
data confidence · Partial
Verified facts22%
Page filled89%
All 9 data fields — what's verified, imported or modeled Show more
  • City price range· derived from 2 sourced hospital prices in gwangju ✓ Verified
  • Per-clinic prices Imported
  • City comparison· 8 priced Imported
  • Provider directory· 2 clinics Imported
  • Outcome benchmarks· slots ready — feed the Index Not yet collected
  • Spec sheet & aftercare· 3 of 5 specs typed Modeled
  • Recovery timeline Modeled
  • Trip cost estimates Modeled
  • Visa & travel guidance ✓ 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 Medical Travel Cost Index. Methodology →