1. Collect Information

KEYWORD : Korean medical tourism, Googling, Website recommendation

“Highly recommended. High-quality medical devices and expert medical staff. I’ll be sure to visit Korea for my next health checkup. “Miss J’s eyes lingered on this review. “What’s so great about it?” Yes, she’s heard of K-pop, but she isn’t as familiar with K-medical tourism. She typed in “Korean Medical Tourism” on Google. She found hundreds of pages, one of them was a statistic from the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI), saying, “The number of foreign inpatients and outpatients surged over 320,000 patients in 2019 increasing at an average annual rate of 18% in 5 years.” After a few minutes of browsing, Miss J settled on a few helpful websites:

1) Medical Korea page in VisitKorea, Korea Tourism Organization (KTO)

• ● Website: Medicla Korea
• ● Language Services Available: English, Chinese, Japanese, Russian
• ● Assistant Services Available:
  • - Introduces Korean medical service system, medical institutions and agencies
  • - Provides comprehensive information on Korean tourism, including tourist attractions, restaurants, accommodations, and transportations

2) KTO social media accounts

• ● Website:
  • - English https://www.facebook.com/visitmedicalkorea/
  • - Chinese https://weibo.com/visitmedicalkorea
  • - Japanese https://www.facebook.com/jp.visitmedicalkorea/
  • - Russian https://vk.com/visitmedicalkorea
• ● Language Services Available: English, Chinese, Japanese, Russian
• ● Assistant Services Available:
  • - Provides card news on Korean medical tourism, from tourist attractions to treatments
  • - Provides medical information in [Special Report] sections

3) VISITSEOULNET

• ● Website: https://english.visitseoul.net
• ● Language Services Available: English, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Malay
• ● Assistant Services Available:
  • - Provides basic information on tourist visits to Seoul, including tourist guides and maps to weather and transportation
  • - Provides Up-to-date information on events, exhibitions, and performances in Seoul.
  • - Provides ‘Visit Seoul’ mobile app to use

2. Search for hospitals and make a reservation

KEYWORD : Hospital search, Interpretation, Recommendations from acquaintances

Choosing a hospital is the most important one, as the hospital’s satisfaction from services provided would undoubtedly be a factor of this trip’s success. Miss J spent a long time looking up her hospital. The following were the standards of her decision-making.

∨ The hospital must be trustworthy and experienced in treating foreign patients.

∨ There should be no communication problems at the hospital.

∨ The hospital should have high levels of customer satisfaction with the services provided.

∨ The hospital should be easily accessible to tourist attractions.

Miss J began to examine each standard in more detail.

The hospital must be trustworthy and experienced in treating foreign patients.

First, Miss J went to the HOSPITAL menu in the Medical Packages in Korea website to check the list of the major hospitals that provide medical services to foreign patients.

In June 2021, there were 37 websites (according to the website above) that provided health checkups to foreign patients. Miss J examined each hospital according to her standards, like its size, costs, and accessibility to other tourist attractions.

There should be no communication problems at the hospital.

Foreign language-speaking medical coordinators are available in most general hospitals providing health checkups in Korea. Even if there are no coordinators, hospitals are connected with agencies, so communication is rarely a problem.

There is even a specialized interpretation service available for the hospitals in Seoul; foreign patients can simply request for an interpretation service at the hospital.

[Process for Interpretation Service]
The foreign patients make a request to the hospital for an Interpretation Service before their visit. → The hospital applies for an Interpretation Service at the “Seoul Metropolitan City Medical Tour Help Desk” (+82-2-739-7061) → Foreign language-speaking medical tourism coordinators are dispatched to the hospital.
※ Language Services Available: 10 languages, including English, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Vietnamese, Arabic, and Mongolian

The hospital should have high levels of customer satisfaction with the services provided.

There are different ways to search for the right hospital, including 1) recommendations from acquaintances, 2) inquiries with the information center, 3) screening hospital websites, and 4) screening social media reviews. Out of the four ways, Miss J gave priority to 1) and 2).

1) Recommendations from acquaintances: It is often risky for foreign patients to choose to depend solely on social media reviews. Thus, Miss J consulted with her coworker and other acquaintances who visited Korean hospitals for recommendations.

2) Inquiries with the information center: The Medical Tourism Information Center operated by KTO provides a shortlist of recommended hospitals, about three to five hospitals in total, selected based on medical departments, preferred areas, and the existence of coordinators on-site.
- Email: [email protected]
- Tel : +82-2-752-2102~3

Miss J eventually decided and made her reservation with the hospital, inquiring about other questions such as the waiting time for her diagnosis results and the existence of women doctors.

3. Prepare for Visa application and an arrival

KEYWORD : Visa application, Medical visa, Packing

Three visa* types allow the holder to get health checkups in Korea: the short-term (under 90 days) medical visa C-3-3 (Medical Tourist), the tourist visa, and the short-term visit visa. They all allow the holder to stay for up to 90 days in Korea. The difference is that the C-3-3 visa is issued through an invitation from the agency and can be obtained for the accompanied family for caring the patient, such as one’s spouse.

Want to know more?

4. Arrival in Korea

KEYWORD : Arrival, Incheon International Airport, Airport Pickup Service

At last, Miss J has arrived in Korea, greeted by the unfamiliar scent of a new country and the buzz of unknown people. Before exiting the airport, Miss J headed to Terminal 1’s Arrival Gate 7, Medical Tourism Information Center, to get her bearings and ask for directions to her accommodations.

You can hear different languages spoken at the information center, with international visitors talking to the multilingual nurses and consultants at the desk. That’s not all: Medical Tourism Information Center also provides comprehensive information on scheduling one’s appointment, transportation to the hospital or accommodation, and other kinds of interest in medical tourism.

5. Receive a Diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation

KEYWORD : Consultation with medical staffs, Diagnosis, Treatment, Rehabilitation

On her health checkup day, Miss J finally headed to the hospital. Most general hospitals in Korea provide basic, precise, and specific fields (brain, heart, women’s, etc.) checkups. Being a woman in her 40s, Miss J went for a detailed checkup that included respiratory, gynecology, and osteoporosis examinations. The hospital’s free interpretation system and one-stop service allowed Miss J to get a quick and expert checkup.

※ Medical service consultations are also available in the Medical Tourism Information Center and Medical Korea Information Center.

6. Go on a wellness tour

KEYWORD : Wellness, Leisure, Spa, Hanbang

After her health checkup, Miss J began her wellness tour in earnest. After all, all there was left to do was to see, eat, enjoy, and be healed. Many wellness travel destinations are easily accessible by bus or subway in Seoul. There are Hanbang spa and Hanbang café surrounded by Hanok, operated by K-beauty brand Sulwhasoo. There’s not enough time to enjoy all. Miss J was very excited to go on a wellness tour.

Q. Do you want a luxurious Hanbang spa experience with medicinal herbs?

A. Sulwhasoo Flagship Store

Q. Do you want to enjoy a spa, dining, and shopping in a massive shopping complex?

A. Aquafield Goyang

Q. Do you want to find the best Hanbang tea for your body in an elegant hanok café?

A. Tea Therapy

Q. Do you want to take a day trip to Seoul and visit a meditation center in the mountains?

A. Museum SAN Meditation Hall

7. Return and do a follow-up

KEYWORD : Airport send-off service, Departure, Follow-up afterwards

At the end of her trip, Miss J arrived comfortably at the Incheon International Airport with the airport send-off service that she had reserved. But her trip didn’t come to an end then; some hospitals in Korea maintain contact with the patients even after returning to their home country via email and other methods. For patients that require a follow-up, such as those who underwent significant surgeries, hospitals provide a three-way conversation with the related hospital overseas by telemedicine.

Miss J turned back to look at the scenery of Korea one last time before she entered the departure hall. The scenery she had found so strange a few days ago was growing on her. “When would I be able to come back? “Just like she was motivated by word-of-mouth from others to take the flight, Miss J was eager to share her experiences in Korea with others. From the health checkup to her travel, her experience in Korean medical tourism was indeed successful.