{"id":808,"slug":"how-to-find-a-registered-hospital-for-foreign-patients-in-korea","question":"How to find a registered hospital for foreign patients in Korea?","intent":"local","language":"en","url":"https://worldwiki.io/q/how-to-find-a-registered-hospital-for-foreign-patients-in-korea","entity":{"slug":"medical-tourism-korea","name":"Medical Tourism Korea","url":"https://worldwiki.io/entity/medical-tourism-korea"},"answer":{"short_answer":"Search the Medical Korea portal, run by the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI). It lists the medical institutions and facilitators registered to attract international patients. Match the clinic's exact legal name and address, check any agency or broker separately, and do this before paying a deposit or booking travel. Korean law requires registration. As of March 2025, 3,114 medical institutions and 1,927 facilitators were registered.","detailed_answer":"<ol><li><strong>Search the official portal.</strong> Medical Korea lists registered medical institutions and registered facilitators for international patients <span class=\"ref\">[2]</span>.</li><li><strong>Match the legal entity.</strong> Compare the exact legal name and address with the listing, not only the brand name. Several brands can share one address, and one brand can run separate legal entities. Institution details are also published in public health-insurance data <span class=\"ref\">[6]</span>.</li><li><strong>Check the intermediary.</strong> If an agency, broker or influencer arranges the trip, confirm that it is registered as a facilitator too <span class=\"ref\">[2]</span>. Recruiting foreign patients without registration is punishable by up to 3 years' imprisonment or a fine of up to KRW 30 million <span class=\"ref\">[5]</span>.</li><li><strong>Understand what registration covers.</strong> Institutions register with the metropolitan or provincial government through KHIDI's Foreign Patient Attraction Information System, and the review takes about 20 working days <span class=\"ref\">[5]</span>. Since 2016, registered institutions have had to carry malpractice liability insurance <span class=\"ref\">[4]</span>. Registration does not assess an individual doctor's skill or outcomes.</li><li><strong>Verify the doctor and the product.</strong> Ask for the treating doctor's name and specialist credentials. For any drug, implant or cell preparation, ask for its regulatory status with MFDS <span class=\"ref\">[1]</span>. Most stem cell interventions outside a few established uses remain experimental <span class=\"ref\">[3]</span>.</li><li><strong>Agree on follow-up in writing.</strong> Get an itemised quotation, the revision and refund policy, and details of who provides care after you return home.</li></ol>","format":"steps","confidence":80,"verified_at":"2026-09-18 07:10:23","updated_at":"2026-09-18 16:10:23"},"sources":[{"id":3,"title":"Ministry of Food and Drug Safety — English site","url":"https://www.mfds.go.kr/eng/","publisher":"MFDS, Republic of Korea","type":"government","accessed_at":"2026-09-18 18:00:01"},{"id":13,"title":"Medical Korea — official medical tourism portal (KHIDI)","url":"https://www.medicalkorea.or.kr/en/index","publisher":"Korea Health Industry Development Institute","type":"government","accessed_at":"2026-09-18 18:00:01"},{"id":15,"title":"About Stem Cells — patient resource","url":"https://www.aboutstemcells.org/","publisher":"International Society for Stem Cell Research","type":"organization","accessed_at":"2026-09-19 18:01:05"},{"id":233,"title":"Medical Korea > Reliable","url":"https://www.medicalkorea.or.kr/en/reliable","publisher":"Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI)","type":"government","accessed_at":"2026-09-19 18:00:09"},{"id":234,"title":"외국인환자 유치기관 등록제도 안내","url":"https://news.seoul.go.kr/welfare/archives/531323","publisher":"Seoul Metropolitan Government","type":"government","accessed_at":"2026-09-19 18:00:09"},{"id":64,"title":"건강보험심사평가원_의료기관별상세정보서비스","url":"https://www.data.go.kr/data/15001699/openapi.do","publisher":"공공데이터포털 / 건강보험심사평가원","type":"government","accessed_at":"2026-09-19 18:01:17"}],"published_at":"2026-09-18 07:10:23"}