Does South Korean Plastic Surgery Cost Double the Amount for Foreigners?

Written by Chelsea Kim. Posted in Korean Plastic Surgery, Medical Tourism Korea

While surfing the net, you may have stumbled upon forum threads or various pieces of information that say: South Korean plastic surgery cost 1.5 to 2 times the amount for foreigners. This is true; some major hospitals overcharge foreigners as reported by The Korea Times.

The Demand of Plastic Surgery Amongst Locals

There are some 500+ clinics available to the local people of South Korea where popular procedures such as Korean rhinoplasty and double eyelid surgery are provided. While it seems that South Koreans are obsessed with plastic surgery, as the media makes it out to be, this isn’t entirely true. There exists an oversupply of clinics and less demand for surgery amongst the locals. With so many sources available, it makes sense for lowered prices.

Let’s remember that after all, the cosmetic surgery industry is a business just as supermarkets or clothes shops are a business. Low prices means less profit, but this undesirable outcome is counterbalanced by the high demand for South Korean cosmetic surgery amongst foreigners.

The verdict here is that it is not unethical to charge higher prices to foreigners than locals. Where the some 500 + clinics are not readily accessible, foreigners are willing to pay more for the quality service and overall travel experience.

More importantly, most foreigners will tell you that they have carefully compared the prices and did their own research before choosing Korea, as their choice for cosmetic surgery travel.

Legit Medical Tourism Agencies Are 'Transparent'

From air-port pick-up to facilitating your entire surgery process, a legal medical tourism agency plans your trip from A to Z for you. Some travelers enjoy the idea of having a helping hand while others choose to plunge into a foreign environment and take it upon themselves. Medical Tourism Agencies may or may not be your kind of thing, and that is fine as it is completely up to your personal preference.

With legal agencies, they care about quality; in the event that something undesirable happens during the experience such as failed surgery, then they will mediate the situation and act to resolve it. Is your medical tourism agency legit? A good way to figure this out is actually quite simple.

The distinctive factor here is that legal medical tourism agencies are completely honest and up-front about the fact that they are a medical tourism agency; they are  'transparent'. This is not the case with illegal medical tourism agencies that pretend to be something else – if you think about it, why is it necessary to pretend to be something else?

Feel free to leave a comment; we’d love to hear your perspective!