Health · Healthcare & Policy · 3 hrs ago
Seoul selects 19 hotels for foreign medical patients
Seoul selected 19 places to stay for foreign medical patients and their families.
The city said the facilities were chosen from 40 applicants and offer services such as laundry, transport help and multilingual emergency guidance.
About 1.76 million foreign patients visited Seoul medical institutions in 2025, up from about 470,000 in 2023.
Seoul accounted for 87.2% of foreign patient visits nationwide that year.
The facilities were assessed for factors including proximity to medical institutions, suitability for longer stays and round-the-clock emergency arrangements.
The designations remain valid until 2027, and the city plans to share information about the facilities and their services in several languages.
Seoul has selected 19 accommodation facilities for foreign medical patients and their families.
The facilities were chosen from 40 applicants after document reviews.
They offer services including dedicated floors and lounges, free laundry, transport assistance and multilingual emergency guidance.
About 1.76 million foreign patients visited medical institutions in Seoul in 2025, 3.7 times the number in 2023.
The designation for the 19 facilities is valid until 2027.
- Who
- The Seoul Metropolitan Government selected 19 accommodation facilities for foreign medical patients and their families.
- What
- The city designated the facilities as accommodation options for foreign patients.
- When
- The city announced the selection on Nov 2, 2026.
- Where
- Seoul, South Korea.
- Why
- Rising medical tourism has increased demand for comfortable stays before and after treatment.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Approximately 470,000 foreign patients visited medical institutions in Seoul.
About 1.76 million foreign patients visited medical institutions in Seoul.
Seoul announced that it had selected 19 accommodation facilities from 40 applicants.
- Selected facilities
- 19
- Applicants
- 40
- Seoul foreign patients in 2025
- About 1.76 million
- Seoul share of nationwide visits in 2025
- 87.2%
- Designation valid until
- 2027
What people are saying
The competitiveness of medical tourism depends not only on excellent medical services, but also on how comfortably and safely foreign patients and their families can stay before and after treatment.