00:01For American social media video editor Cindy Gu, a fascination with South Korea began with K-pop.
00:09Then came the dramas, variety shows, culture, food, and eventually beauty treatments.
00:16I started from K-pop, the music, then I started going to dramas, then variety shows, then the culture and
00:22the food, and then to beauty treatments.
00:24So it kind of like slowly linked to everything else, and even to me coming here.
00:28Gu is among a growing number of foreign visitors traveling to South Korea for skin care and aesthetic treatments.
00:36K-beauty is becoming an increasingly important part of the country's inbound tourism industry.
00:42During her visit, Gu went to the Lianjang Beauty Clinic in Seoul's upscale Gangnam district,
00:49where she received a consultation before undergoing a non-invasive facial treatment.
00:53I like that there's a variety of K-beauty treatments in general that are not even offered in the U
00:59.S.,
01:00and that it is like two or three times cheaper here than the U.S.
01:04South Korea has long been known as a destination for plastic surgery, including nose jobs and double eyelid surgery.
01:12But industry officials say there is increasing demand for less invasive treatments such as laser therapy,
01:19Botox, red light therapy, and ultrasound skin lifting.
01:24I just think Korea is doing a really great job in many areas, not only in skin care,
01:29but it shows us a community that you guys work really hard,
01:32but we feel safe coming to this country for our face, you know.
01:36It's not, we're not going to put our beauty just in any hands, it has to be in the best
01:40hands.
01:40The number of people visiting South Korea for medical treatment has grown sharply over the past decade,
01:47according to Korea's health ministry.
01:49Just over 2 million foreigners visited South Korea last year for treatments,
01:54nearly double the number from a decade earlier.
01:57And recent statistics show that the trend is still growing.
02:02Clinics say foreign patients often pack several non-invasive procedures into a single trip.
02:08The Lianjong clinic averages around 100 patients a day, and most are foreigners.
02:14Each spends an average of about 1,000 U.S. dollars.
02:19Korean doctors are widely recognized for their high level of technical skill compared to many other countries.
02:26Even some Japanese patients say that, while certain procedures may be cheaper in Japan,
02:32they still choose to come to Korea for treatment.
02:34There are about 15,000 clinics offering skin care treatments in South Korea,
02:40most of them run by journal practitioners rather than dermatologists,
02:44according to the Association of Korean Dermatologists.
02:48Analysts say the boom reflects a broader shift in tourism,
02:52with visitors increasingly looking to experience Korean lifestyle trends, not just sightseeing.
02:59Recently, the concept of inbound tourism to Korea has shifted towards enjoying the Korean lifestyle.
03:05Within that trend, there is a strong interest in K-beauty,
03:09and demand for combining travel with dermatological procedures has emerged as a key form of content.
03:15We expect medical tourism demand centered on dermatology clinics to continue growing.
03:20On social media, hashtags like Korea Glow Up have helped promote the idea of traveling to South Korea for beauty
03:28treatment,
03:28the country becoming part of the new tourist trail.
03:32Devin Tsai, David Frazier, and Yvonne Young for Taiwan Plus.
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