Korea performs more cosmetic procedures per capita than any other country, and most international patients are treated in a dense cluster of clinics around Apgujeong and Gangnam in Seoul.
42 listed clinics · 7 procedure guides
A Korean plastic surgery clinic is typically small and surgeon-owned rather than a hospital department. That structure keeps prices competitive and consultation times long, but it also means the surgeon who consults is not always the surgeon who operates. Ask which specialist will perform the procedure and confirm that they are certified by the Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons, not merely a licensed physician.
Clinics that regularly treat international patients are registered with the Korea Health Industry Development Institute and are required to carry medical dispute insurance covering foreign patients. Registration is public and worth checking before you pay a deposit.
Liposuction removes localized fat deposits through small cannula incisions, and in Korea it is commonly sold in area packages such as abdomen, thighs, arms or a full 360 circumference.
2 clinics · 2,500,000 - 9,000,000 KRW
A facelift repositions the sagging SMAS layer and removes excess skin, and unlike thread or device lifting it is the only option that physically removes tissue rather than tightening what is there.
5 clinics · 8,000,000 - 20,000,000 KRW
Stem cell work in Korean aesthetic practice usually means processing fat taken during liposuction and reinjecting its cell-rich fraction, most often to improve graft survival rather than as a treatment on its own.
1 clinic · 3,000,000 - 15,000,000 KRW
Double eyelid surgery creates a crease in the upper eyelid, using either an incisional method that removes tissue permanently or a non-incisional buried-suture method that can be reversed.
14 clinics · 1,200,000 - 3,500,000 KRW
Rhinoplasty in Korea most often combines a bridge implant with tip work using the patient's own septal or ear cartilage, rather than reshaping bone alone.
7 clinics · 3,000,000 - 8,000,000 KRW
Facial contouring reshapes the jaw, chin and cheekbones through incisions inside the mouth, and it is the most invasive category of cosmetic surgery routinely performed in Korea.
1 clinic · 6,000,000 - 15,000,000 KRW
Breast augmentation in Korea is usually performed with cohesive silicone implants placed through an axillary incision using an endoscope, which leaves no scar on the breast itself.
1 clinic · 6,000,000 - 12,000,000 KRW
Surgeon-owned plastic surgery clinic on Garosu-gil holding JCI accreditation, with an anaesthesiologist on site and an in-house SVF laboratory, covering liposuction, facelift and stem cell work.
Korea's longest-running liposuction-only clinic, operating since 2007 with more than 80,000 cases, covering thirteen body areas and revision of work done elsewhere.
Plastic surgery clinic in Gangnam-gu with no plastic surgery board certification recorded on the HIRA register, 15 minutes from Apgujeong Station.
Plastic surgery clinic in Gangnam-gu with no plastic surgery board certification recorded on the HIRA register, 15 minutes from Apgujeong Station.
Plastic surgery clinic in Gangnam-gu with no plastic surgery board certification recorded on the HIRA register, 3 minutes from Apgujeong Station.
Plastic surgery clinic in Gangnam-gu with 1 board-certified plastic surgeon, 8 minutes from Apgujeongrodeo Station.
Plastic surgery clinic in Gangnam-gu with no plastic surgery board certification recorded on the HIRA register, 4 minutes from Apgujeongrodeo Station.
Plastic surgery clinic in Gangnam-gu with no plastic surgery board certification recorded on the HIRA register, 18 minutes from Gangnam-gu Office Station.
Plastic surgery clinic in Gangnam-gu with no plastic surgery board certification recorded on the HIRA register, 5 minutes from Apgujeong Station.
Plastic surgery clinic in Gangnam-gu with no plastic surgery board certification recorded on the HIRA register, 2 minutes from Apgujeongrodeo Station.
Plastic surgery clinic in Gangnam-gu with no plastic surgery board certification recorded on the HIRA register, 5 minutes from Apgujeong Station.
Plastic surgery clinic in Gangnam-gu with no plastic surgery board certification recorded on the HIRA register, 8 minutes from Daechi Station.
Plastic surgery clinic in Gangnam-gu with no plastic surgery board certification recorded on the HIRA register, 6 minutes from Sinnonhyeon Station.
Plastic surgery clinic in Gangnam-gu with no plastic surgery board certification recorded on the HIRA register, 2 minutes from Sinnonhyeon Station.
Plastic surgery clinic in Seocho-gu with no plastic surgery board certification recorded on the HIRA register, 1 minutes from Sinsa Station.
Plastic surgery clinic in Seocho-gu with no plastic surgery board certification recorded on the HIRA register, 6 minutes from Sinnonhyeon Station.
Plastic surgery clinic in Seocho-gu with no plastic surgery board certification recorded on the HIRA register, 16 minutes from Nonhyeon Station.
Plastic surgery clinic in Songpa-gu with no plastic surgery board certification recorded on the HIRA register, 15 minutes from Seokchon Station.
Plastic surgery clinic in Songpa-gu with 1 board-certified plastic surgeon, 8 minutes from Geoyeo Station.
Plastic surgery clinic in Songpa-gu with no plastic surgery board certification recorded on the HIRA register, 21 minutes from Jamsillaru Station.
Plastic surgery clinic in Yeongdeungpo-gu with no plastic surgery board certification recorded on the HIRA register, 8 minutes from Yeouido Station.
Plastic surgery clinic in Yeongdeungpo-gu with no plastic surgery board certification recorded on the HIRA register, 6 minutes from Dangsan Station.
Plastic surgery clinic in Yeongdeungpo-gu with no plastic surgery board certification recorded on the HIRA register, 12 minutes from Yeouido Station.
Plastic surgery clinic in Jung-gu with 1 board-certified plastic surgeon, 3 minutes from Myeong-dong Station.
Plastic surgery clinic in Jung-gu with no plastic surgery board certification recorded on the HIRA register, 11 minutes from Myeong-dong Station.
Plastic surgery clinic in Jung-gu with 1 board-certified plastic surgeon, 4 minutes from Sindang Station.
Plastic surgery clinic in Yongsan-gu with no plastic surgery board certification recorded on the HIRA register, 8 minutes from Ichon Station.
Plastic surgery clinic in Yongsan-gu with no plastic surgery board certification recorded on the HIRA register, 13 minutes from Ichon Station.
Plastic surgery clinic in Yongsan-gu with no plastic surgery board certification recorded on the HIRA register, 51 minutes from Itaewon Station.
Plastic surgery clinic in Jongno-gu with no plastic surgery board certification recorded on the HIRA register, 2 minutes from Jongno 3(sam)-ga Station.
Plastic surgery clinic in Bupyeong-gu with no plastic surgery board certification recorded on the HIRA register, 11 minutes from Bupyeong Market Station.
Plastic surgery clinic in Gyeyang-gu with no plastic surgery board certification recorded on the HIRA register, 19 minutes from Gyeongin Nat'l Univ. of Education Station.
Plastic surgery clinic in Namdong-gu with no plastic surgery board certification recorded on the HIRA register, 5 minutes from Guwol Station.
Plastic surgery clinic in Gijang-gun with no plastic surgery board certification recorded on the HIRA register.
Plastic surgery clinic in Haeundae-gu with no plastic surgery board certification recorded on the HIRA register, 14 minutes from Centum City Station.
Plastic surgery clinic in Jin-gu with no plastic surgery board certification recorded on the HIRA register, 5 minutes from Seomyeon Station.
Plastic surgery clinic in Dong-gu with no plastic surgery board certification recorded on the HIRA register, 2 minutes from Dongdaegu Station.
Plastic surgery clinic in Jung-gu with no plastic surgery board certification recorded on the HIRA register, 11 minutes from Kyungpook Nat'l Univ. Hospital Station.
Plastic surgery clinic in Jung-gu with no plastic surgery board certification recorded on the HIRA register, 10 minutes from Jungangno Station.
Plastic surgery clinic in Jeju-si with no plastic surgery board certification recorded on the HIRA register.
Plastic surgery clinic in Jeju-si with no plastic surgery board certification recorded on the HIRA register.
Plastic surgery clinic in Jeju-si with no plastic surgery board certification recorded on the HIRA register.
Most facial procedures require 7 to 14 days in Korea so that sutures can be removed and swelling assessed before you fly. Body contouring and implant surgery usually require 10 to 14 days. Flying earlier raises the risk of swelling and thrombosis.
Clinics registered for foreign patients usually provide English coordinators at no charge, and Chinese, Japanese or Russian on request. Confirm whether the coordinator attends the surgical consultation itself, not just the reception desk.
Processing your own fat during the same operation is permitted as a medical procedure. Cultured or donor-derived cell products are regulated as drugs and need Ministry of Food and Drug Safety approval, which very few hold.
Korean clinics generally cap a single session at around five litres of aspirate under general anaesthesia, and that ceiling is a safety limit rather than a pricing decision. Anything beyond it is split across two operations.
Source: Wufuer M, Choi TH, Najmiddinov B, Kim J, Choi J, et al. "Improving Facial Fat Graft Survival Using Stromal Vascular Fraction-Enriched Lipotransfer: A Multicenter Randomized Controlled Study." Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 2024 https://doi.org/10.1097/PRS.0000000000010625