[Edaily Kang Gyeong-rok Travel Reporter] Although medical tourism has established itself as a prime “high-value-added” market—with per-person spending by foreign medical tourists reaching about four times that of general tourists—it has been revealed that more than 90% of foreign patients are concentrated in the Seoul metropolitan area.
According to parliamentary audit materials submitted by the Korea Tourism Organization to Rep. Jeong Yeon-wook (People Power Party, Suyeong-gu, Busan), a member of the National Assembly’s Culture, Sports, and Tourism Committee, on the 14th, as of 2025, Seoul accounted for 87.2% (1,755,002 people) of foreign patients, while the Seoul Metropolitan Area as a whole accounted for 91.2%.

While the top five cities and provinces—including Seoul, Gyeonggi, Incheon, Busan, and Jeju—accounted for 97.3% of the total, the remaining 12 cities and provinces nationwide accounted for only 2.7% (53,345 people), revealing a severe regional imbalance.
While spending by foreign visitors to Korea declined, spending by medical tourists showed an upward trend. From 2023 to 2025, overall spending per foreign visitor—including accommodation (-17.8%), restaurant expenses (-16.9%), and shopping (-6.8%)—showed a downward trend. In contrast, spending on medical treatment and health checkups rose by 30.8%, from $46.8 to $61.2.
The average per-person expenditure by medical tourists was approximately 6.73 million won, which is 3.8 times that of general tourists (approximately 1.78 million won). The average length of stay was also 7.2 days, longer than that of general tourists (6.5 days), reaffirming that medical tourism is a stay-based tourism product with significant economic ripple effects for the region.
Representative Jeong emphasized, “We need a precise strategy tailored to demand, starting with establishing detailed infrastructure—such as prayer rooms for patients from the Middle East,” adding, “We must meticulously revitalize regional medical tourism zones, such as the Seomyeon Medical District in Busan, where hospitals are concentrated and specialized fields are available.”
Examples were also presented of cases where local governments’ independent investments led to tangible results. In the case of Busan, after investing 2.4 billion won this year to implement its own master plan, the city attracted 75,879 foreign patients in 2025, ranking second nationwide. The year-over-year growth rate of 151.5% was the highest among the top five local governments.
Rep. Jeong pointed out, “Although local governments are struggling on their own, the Korea Tourism Organization has been reluctant to support individual local government projects,” adding, “It is urgent for the Korea Tourism Organization to propose policies and develop comprehensive measures to promote regional diversification.”
In response, Park Seong-hyeok, President of the Korea Tourism Organization, stated, “To disperse medical tourism demand concentrated in Seoul to regional areas, we are closely monitoring cities such as Busan and Daegu as key hubs.” He added, “We will expand the development of region-linked products, such as linking Seomyeon Medical District packages with cruise passengers and crew members to encourage them to naturally utilize medical and beauty services after arrival.”