Not medical advice. Whether a treatment is right for you is a decision to take with a doctor or dentist who has examined you. We never rank, review or recommend clinics in Seoul.

Region

Seoul Special City

Airport

ICN

Time zone

UTC+9

EU rules

Who licenses clinics in Seoul

Seoul is in Seoul Special City (서울특별시).

Regional authority

Seoul Metropolitan Government and the district (gu) public health centres

서울특별시 / 자치구 보건소

Under Article 33 of the Medical Service Act, a medical, dental or Korean-medicine clinic is reported to the head of its district; a hospital, dental hospital or long-term care hospital needs a permit from the Mayor, after review by the city's medical institution committee.

Check a clinic or a doctor in Seoul

The national registers for South Korea cover Seoul too:

Clinics

Medical Korea (KHIDI, for the Ministry of Health and Welfare): hospitals and clinics for foreign patients

The official portal for foreign patients, with a hospital search. Check that the exact clinic you are booked into is there.

Is the clinic or the agency registered for foreign patients?

South Korea requires hospitals, clinics and agencies that attract foreign patients to register. Search the official list (4,172 medical institutions and 2,722 registered facilitators). Names are in Korean: ask the clinic for its registered Korean name (상호명), shown on its licence and its Korean website.

Source: Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI): institutions registered to attract foreign patients, updated 2026-09-26, checked 2026-10-26. Being registered does not guarantee the outcome.

Getting there

Most patients fly into Seoul Incheon (ICN). Gimpo (GMP) also serves Seoul, mostly for regional flights.

Estimated flight time
From	Estimated flight
United Kingdom	about 11.5 h
Ireland	about 11.7 h
Germany	about 10.6 h
France	about 11.5 h
United States	about 11 h
Canada	about 10.8 h
Australia	about 10.2 h

Straight-line estimate from the nearest main airport (800 km/h plus 30 minutes), not a timetable: connections add time.

Treatments in South Korea

Hair transplant in South KoreaOne trip Dental implants and veneers in South KoreaOne or two trips, by procedure Weight-loss surgery in South KoreaAt least 10 days before flying home Cosmetic surgery in South KoreaAt least 7 to 10 days (by procedure) before flying home Laser eye and lens surgery in South KoreaUp to 7 days (by procedure) before flying home

Other cities in South Korea: Busan · South Korea: the whole country

Sources

Medical Service Act, Article 33 (KLRI English translation, for reference) elaw.klri.re.kr · checked 9 Nov 2026
Seoul Metropolitan Government seoul.go.kr · checked 9 Nov 2026
Korea eAIP, Incheon (RKSI AD 2) aim.koca.go.kr · checked 9 Nov 2026

Next review due 9 May 2027.