Medical tourism in Korea – recent phenomena, emerging markets, potential threats, and challenge factors: a review

The primary aim of this study is to provide comprehensive implications for medical tourism in Korea. Through qualitative review analysis, opportunity factors have been revealed including emerging low-cost carriers in the world and Korea; the widely recognized Korean wave; the increasing market for cosmetic surgery; and potential markets in China and the Middle East. Challenges have been indicated including overcharging by clinics and illegal brokers; the collaboration between Western and Korean medicine; a lack of scientific proof for Korean medicine; Korea's cold winter climate; the North Korean threat; unclear market targeting; and the diverse medical market development in Korea.