K-beauty rising: Korea's dermatology clinics see 117-fold surge in foreign patients since 2009

The number of foreign patients visiting dermatology clinics in Korea has surged 117-fold over the past 15 years, according to new government data. A report showed that 705,044 foreign nationals received dermatological treatment in Korea in 2024.

Kim Kardashian offered a glimpse into her recent stay in Korea, sharing her K-culture experience through a series of photos on Instagram on Aug. 21. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

The number of foreign patients visiting dermatology clinics in Korea has surged 117-fold over the past 15 years, according to new government data.

A report released Thursday by the Korea Health Industry Development Institute showed that 705,044 foreign nationals received dermatological treatment in Korea in 2024, nearly tripling from 239,060 the previous year. The figure marks a dramatic increase from just 6,015 patients in 2009, when Korea first began promoting inbound medical tourism.

While the total number of foreign patients in Korea has grown about 19 times over the same period, the increase in dermatology patients has outpaced that trend significantly.

Dermatology’s share of all medical treatments sought by foreign nationals in Korea has also jumped, from 9.3 percent in 2009 to 56.6 percent in 2024 — more than half of the total.

Looking at just the past five years, dermatology has recently overtaken other specialties in popularity among foreign patients in Korea. In 2019, internal medicine, including gastroenterology and cardiology, accounted for the largest share at 19.2 percent, followed by plastic surgery at 15.3 percent and dermatology at 14.4 percent. But since 2023, dermatology has claimed the top spot.

By nationality, Japanese patients made up the largest share of dermatology visits in 2024 at 43.7 percent, followed by Chinese at 24.4 percent, Taiwanese at 9.6 percent, American at 5.7 percent and Thai at 3.5 percent.

The global popularity of Korean beauty, or K-beauty, has further boosted the country’s dermatology sector. U.S. celebrity and entrepreneur Kim Kardashian recently attracted attention after sharing multiple photos on Instagram of her experience with Korean skincare treatments during a visit to Seoul.

The photos included images of her receiving dermatological treatments. She reportedly visited several clinics in Seoul’s Yongsan and Gangnam districts with her sister Khloé Kardashian.

Kardashian rose to fame through the reality TV show “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” (2007-21). She launched the shapewear brand Skims in 2019, which now records an annual revenue of $1 billion ($719,062). This year, she was listed as a billionaire in Forbes’ ranking of "America’s Richest Women Celebrities."

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom. BY JANG GU-SEUL [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]