The new Korean wave

As a Chinese tourist in Seoul, Zhang took full advantage of her week-long Korean adventure. She caught a breathtaking view of the city from the 63 Building — a gleaming, 249-metre-high architectural marvel on Yeouido island — and took in a performance of Nanta, the longest-running show in Korean history.

But Zhang was in Seoul for reasons beyond sightseeing.  During those seven days, she also underwent a facial bone contouring procedure for what she describes as her “square face,” which she believed made her look older than her age. Zhang was, as the popular term goes, a “medical tourist.”

“I’d heard that recently the trend in Korea is V-line surgery, and the Korean surgeons have good technique and [a lot of] experience, so I went to Korea to have this surgery,” says Zhang. “I know in China we also have this kind of surgery, but I think Korea is the best in the world.”

She isn’t alone in her sentiments. In the last decade, Korea has emerged as a popular destination for travellers seeking state-of-the-art medical treatment in a vibrant vacation spot. In between experiencing Korea’s rich cultural heritage, sampling its world-famous cuisine and exploring its hi-tech cities, tourists are undergoing a range of services: cancer treatment, organ transplantation, dental and ophthalmological care, health screening, infertility treatment and cosmetic surgery, just to name a few.

There are several reasons for this growing trend, says Dr. Kwon Joo of the JK Plastic Surgery Center in Seoul, where Zhang underwent her procedure. “Development of Korea’s economy and improvement in medical quality,” he says, “has led to a five- to tenfold increase over the last decade — differences depending on medical fields — in the number of international patients seeking cutting-edge medical services provided at inexpensive prices.”

This movement has been termed “Medical Hallyu,” a spin-off of Hallyu, or Korean wave. The word Hallyu was coined around the year 2000, when Korean culture began to rise in popularity, first throughout Asia and then around the world. Following this boom for Korean TV dramas, movies, popular music, food and language, Korea’s medical expertise is now also receiving increased international attention — and Joo says this may only be just the beginning. “This trend is expected to accelerate as the Korean government has officially began to support medical tourism since 2009, and numerous medical institutions have started to join the flow.”

Aesthetics Hub
When it comes to cosmetic surgery, Joo believes Korean doctors have a distinct advantage. “Koreans are very skilled in their hands; we use chopsticks quite freely since childhood,” says the doctor of about 20 years. “Koreans also have skin characteristics that differ from Caucasians. Scars form more easily, and are more difficult to revise. Korean surgeons are used to delicate procedures performed on such Asian skin, which is an advantage when handling the fair skin of Caucasians.”

Demand has also driven developments in surgical techniques and technology, says Joo. “Korean women have a high level of interest in aesthetics, consequently creating an extensive domestic plastic surgery market compared to the nation’s population. This economical background allows clinics to make bold investments in their facilities.”

One-Stop Support
Don’t know where to begin?  The Korea Tourism Organization’s (KTO) medical tourism one-stop service centres are here for you. Experienced co-ordinators help tourists communicate and receive medical services efficiently, from visa processing to making appointments at the necessary clinic. Service is provided in various languages including English, Japanese and Chinese.

Tourists can find support at two different locations. The Medical Tourism Information Center is located at Incheon International Airport and serves as a meeting point for travellers. Here, they can access medical tourism information as well as general tourism-related information.

The Medical Tourism Promotion Center is located in the Tourist Information Center (TIC) of the Korea Tourism Organization (40 Cheonggyecheonno, Jung-gu, Seoul). Visitors here will find information as well as medical equipment for checking their health, including a BMI (body mass index) machine, a stress measurement device, a blood pressure meter and a machine to detect skin aging.

Online, a comprehensive “Medical Tourism” guide is available through the KTO’s Visit Korea website (visitkorea.or.kr). Among its features is an advanced search system to help travellers find the medical institution that is right for them.

The JK Plastic Surgery Center in Seoul is one of the largest plastic surgery centres in Korea, both in scale and the number of clinical cases. Since it was established in 1998, JK has performed more than 40,000 cases of plastic surgery.  Its board-certified surgeons are skilled in many types of plastic surgery, though facial bone contouring is an especially strong area of specialization.

JK also holds the distinction of being the first clinic accredited by the Korean government as a medical institution for international patients. “Currently, around 20% of our patients are from overseas, but we expect this proportion to exceed 50% in two years,” says Joo. “In the early stages, most patients were from neighbouring China or Japan, but now people come from all over the world: the United States, Canada, Australia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Russia.” To keep up with the increasingly international origins of their patients, JK offers multilingual consultation in English, Chinese and Japanese.

A major factor drawing in tourists is the competitive prices. For example, the cost of double-eyelid formation and rhinoplasty in Korea is one-third of that in Japan, according to the Korean Tourism Organization. The comparative cost of wrinkle removal or breast implants can also be found on the same level. More recently, Joo says, positive word-of-mouth is having a strong influence. “Patients that return home after receiving surgery in Korea have spread the word on Korea’s state-of–the-art medical services, and their advocacy has become a major catalyst in medical tourism.”

For Lisa from Canada, both of these factored into her decision to travel to Korea for a fat transfer from her stomach to her depressed forehead. “I heard Korea has expertise in surgery, especially for Asian clients,” she says. “Another reason to undergo my procedure in Korea is because surgery in Asia costs less than Canada.”

On the recommendation of a family friend, Lisa visited the ArumdaunNara Dermatology & Plastic Surgery (ANACLI) clinic, which has hospitals in seven different locations in and around Seoul. Her friend had received treatment from Dr. Jin Young Kim, a specialist in autologous fat injection, double eyelid and nose operations, and liposuction.

The process from start-to-finish went smoothly, says Lisa, who appreciated the guidance she received from ANACLI’s English-speaking staff. She began at home by communicating with Kim via email, sending pictures and explaining exactly what results she was looking for. The doctor then replied with quotes and available operation dates.

The day of the procedure, Lisa and Kim had a final consultation before she was prepped for surgery. She returned to the clinic the day after the procedure to have the affected areas dressed, and returned again on the seventh day to get her stitches removed.   

Between her visits to the clinic, Lisa spent the majority of her 12-day stay in Korea much like any other tourist would, shopping and enjoying the local culture and cuisine. She credits the staff at ANACLI for helping to make her trip a medical “vacation:” “Not only did they take care of my medical procedures but they also made lots of recommendations as to where to go and what to do during my stay in Korea, making this trip a wonderful experience,” she says. “I got to experience a little bit of the Korean lifestyle.” •

Photos courtesy of Korea Tourism Organization