More foreigners seek health screenings in South Korea

SEOUL – Health screenings are emerging as another draw for foreign visitors to South Korea, with a growing number choosing the country for medical checkups, data showed on Nov 15.A total of 65,228 foreign patients underwent health screenings in South Korea in 2025, up 17% from a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare.The upward trend appears to be continuing in 2026.The Korea Medical Institute said the number of foreign patients undergoing health screenings at its centres rose about 44% between January and November compared with the same period in 2025.“A large proportion of our foreign patients come from North America, particularly the United States and Canada. We are also seeing growing numbers from China, Mongolia and countries in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS),” a KMI official told a local news outlet.The CIS is an organisation of states that consists of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.The official attributed the increase to the quality of medical examinations, the convenience of undergoing multiple tests at a single location, quick turnaround times for results and language support.Demand for health screenings is expected to grow alongside a surge in inbound tourism.The number of foreign tourists visiting South Korea surpassed 20 million on Nov 12 for the first time, 14 years after reaching the 10 million milestone in 2012, according to data from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK