Beauty tourism is booming in South Korea.

A tourist is receiving treatment for a skin condition in South Korea. Photo: Reuters

Maria Zu is one of them. Eight years ago, this Mexican tourist first came to Seoul just for sightseeing, but on her recent trips, Zu has spent most of her time at skincare clinics. The former flight attendant, who has visited South Korea at least six times, revealed that she often combines various non-invasive treatments during her trips to Korea. “I feel safe coming here for skincare. It’s not just skincare; South Korea is doing very well in many areas. My dream is to live here,” Zu said.

Zu is one of millions of beauty enthusiasts driving South Korea's tourism industry and economy , home to thousands of skincare clinics. Notably, visitors are now seeking treatments such as red light therapy—a technology that uses near-infrared light to stimulate collagen production, reduce inflammation, soothe the skin, and aid in body recovery and rejuvenation—or Botox injections to smooth wrinkles, as well as ultrasonic "lifts" to tighten the jawline, rather than just rhinoplasty or eyelid surgery as in previous years.

The South Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare said that more than 2 million foreigners will travel to the Northeast Asian nation for medical treatment in 2025, a sharp increase from 1.17 million in 2024. The Korea Herald, citing data from the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade, reported that foreign visitors and their companions spent 12 trillion won (approximately $8.1 billion) in 2025. The majority of international visitors to South Korea came for skin disease treatment, while one in nine came for cosmetic surgery.

“Currently, we see foreign tourists coming to Korea spending more on medical services than on tourism. We hope to maintain this momentum by promoting services such as anti-aging treatments for middle-aged tourists,” said Hong Seung-wook, healthcare business director at the Korea Institute for Medical Industry Development.

According to Reuters, South Korea's appeal to tourists lies in its affordability and expertise in beauty treatments, allowing it to offer technologies and techniques years ahead of Western countries. Some tourists say that the cost of skincare in South Korea is much cheaper than in their home countries, while they don't encounter any communication problems, as many clinics have multilingual coordinators.

Se-rin Lee, director of the cosmetic dermatology department at Lienjang, a cosmetic clinic in Seoul's affluent Gangnam district, says competition among cosmetic clinics has kept beauty treatments affordable. According to Lee, Lienjang sees an average of 100 foreign patients daily, each spending around 1.5 million won.

According to the Korean Association of Dermatologists, there are currently around 15,000 skin care clinics across the country, mostly run by general practitioners rather than dermatologists.

The global popularity of Korean dramas, films, and K-pop artists attracts a large number of international tourists to the country. In 2025, South Korea attracted a record nearly 19 million tourists. President Lee Jae Myung set a target of attracting 30 million tourists annually by 2029.

TRI VAN (Compiled)

Source: https://baocantho.com.vn/bung-no-du-lich-lam-dep-tai-han-quoc-a205827.html