About 250,000 Foreign Patients Visited Korea Last Year... 50% of Pre-COVID Levels
Last year, the number of foreign patients visiting Korea recovered to about half the level of 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Korea Health Industry Development Institute announced on the 29th the publication of the "2022 Foreign Patient Attraction Performance Statistical Analysis Report," stating that "the total number of foreign patients last year was 248,111, which is 49.9% of the 2019 figure (497,464)." With the easing of airport quarantine measures last year, the number of foreign patients visiting Korea surged by 70.1% compared to the previous year. The number of foreign patients had sharply declined to 117,069 in 2020, the first year of COVID-19, due to global border closures.
Regarding the nationality of foreign patients last year, the United States (17.8%) and China (17.7%) ranked first and second. They were followed by Japan (8.8%), Thailand (8.2%), and others. During the COVID-19 period, as 'K-culture' spread mainly in Southeast Asia, the number of foreign patients from Singapore, Thailand, and the Philippines exceeded the 2019 levels.
By medical department, internal medicine (22.3%) accounted for the largest share. This was followed by plastic surgery (15.8%), dermatology (12.3%), health screening centers (6.6%), and orthopedics (3.9%). The most foreign patients were attracted by clinics (36.3%), followed by general hospitals (28.8%), and tertiary hospitals (18.9%).
Seoul attracted the most foreign patients, with 166,000 (59.0%), accounting for more than half. Gyeonggi Province and Daegu ranked second and third, attracting 40,000 (16.0%) and 14,000 (5.6%) patients, respectively.
Hot Picks Today
"Could I Also Receive 370 Billion Won?"... No Limit on 'Stock Manipulation Whistleblower Rewards' Starting the 26th
- Samsung Electronics Labor-Management Reach Agreement, General Strike Postponed... "Deficit-Business Unit Allocation Deferred for One Year"
- "From a 70 Million Won Loss to a 350 Million Won Profit with Samsung and SK hynix"... 'Stock Jackpot' Grandfather Gains Attention
- "Stocks Are Not Taxed, but Annual Crypto Gains Over 2.5 Million Won to Be Taxed Next Year... Investors Push Back"
- "Who Is Visiting Japan These Days?" The Once-Crowded Tourist Spots Empty Out... What's Happening?
Lee Haeng-shin, head of the International Medical Strategy Division at the Korea Health Industry Development Institute, said, "The foreign patient attraction business is a high value-added industry with high growth potential. We plan to explore various strategies to revitalize the attraction of foreign patients so that Korea can become a global medical tourism hub."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
