Seomyeon Medical Street (SMS) in Busanjin-gu is emerging as a major hub for foreign medical tourism, with its blend of specialized healthcare services and convenient tourism infrastructure, including accommodation, shopping, dining, and transportation.
According to Busanjin-gu officials on the 25th, the district welcomed 18,238 foreign medical tourists in 2023, accounting for 60.4% of all such visitors to Busan.
This marks a more than fourfold increase compared to 2019 (4,170 visitors), before the COVID-19 pandemic, and helped push Busan to 3rd place nationally, behind only Seoul and Gyeonggi Province.
The sharp rise is attributed to increased international travel post-pandemic and active medical tourism briefings abroad, particularly in countries like Vietnam, Mongolia, and China. SMS has become especially popular among foreign visitors for cosmetic and dermatological procedures, which made up over 80% of treatments.
In 2023, Japan (32.5%) and Taiwan (32.3%) were the top sources of foreign patients, with Taiwan showing the highest growth rate, up 4,643% from the previous year. Other key countries included China, Russia, and Vietnam.
Treatments most sought after were:
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Dermatology (65.2%)
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Plastic surgery (14.8%)
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Dentistry (8.6%)
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Ophthalmology (3.7%)
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Internal medicine (3.0%)
To build on this momentum, Busanjin-gu plans to expand into emerging markets such as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Thailand, while continuing to strengthen global networks through overseas briefings and events like the annual Seomyeon Medical Street Festival, ongoing since 2011.
