January 7, 2026
SEOUL – South Korean medical professionals are expanding overseas rapidly, led by dermatology and plastic surgery, government data showed Tuesday. Overseas ventures have increased by an average of 20.7 percent annually over the past nine years.
According to the Korea Health Industry Development Institute, a total of 249 cases of overseas medical expansion were reported between 2016 and 2024, following the implementation of the Medical Overseas Expansion Act.
Under the law, operators of medical institutions in South Korea are required to report to the health minister when they establish or operate medical facilities abroad, dispatch medical personnel overseas, or transfer medical technologies or information systems to other countries.
The number of reported cases rose from 10 across seven countries in 2016 to 45 in 15 countries in 2024. In total, South Korean medical institutions expanded into 34 countries during the period.
By destination, China accounted for the largest share with 80 cases, or 32.1 percent of the total. Vietnam followed with 37 cases, Mongolia with 20, while Kazakhstan and the United States recorded 11 cases each. Uzbekistan and Japan followed with nine cases apiece.
By specialty, dermatology and plastic surgery dominated overseas expansion, accounting for 105 cases, or 42.2 percent of the total.
Dental services ranked next with 38 cases, followed by general medical services with 19, traditional Korean medicine with 15, rehabilitation medicine with eight, and orthopedics, obstetrics and gynecology, and general surgery with seven cases each.
In terms of expansion type, the most common approach was the establishment and operation of overseas medical institutions, accounting for 42.6 percent of cases.
Operational consulting followed with 28.5 percent, while dispatching medical personnel overseas accounted for 12.4 percent.
The share of cases involving direct establishment and operation declined during the COVID-19 pandemic, falling from 36 percent in 2020 to 32.4 percent in 2021 and 27 percent in 2022.
That proportion rebounded sharply to 66.7 percent in 2023 and 2024 as the pandemic shifted to an endemic phase.
The institute said analyzing overseas expansion trends is critical for securing early market opportunities and strengthening the competitiveness of South Korea’s medical service exports.