ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Med.
Sec. Family Medicine and Primary Care
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmed.2025.1633139
Research on Ways to Attract Foreign Patients to a Korean Medicine Clinic: A Retrospective 2024 Case Study from Seoul
Provisionally accepted
- 1Tong-In Korean Medicine Clinic, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- 2Dongguk University, Junggu, Republic of Korea
- 3Semyung University, Jecheon, Republic of Korea
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
This study explores the characteristics and treatment trends of foreign patients visiting a primary Korean Medicine Clinic, focusing on identifying effective strategies to enhance Traditional Korean medicine (TKM)-based medical tourism in South Korea. The research analyzes the demographic data, treatment modalities, and herbal medicine usage of 318 foreign patients from 51 countries. The research identifies the growing potential of TKM in treating not only musculoskeletal diseases but also internal medicine. The findings emphasize the need for integrated and personalized TKM programs to strengthen the global competitiveness of TKM and improve its position in medical tourism. This manuscript is suited for Frontiers in Medicine (or Public Health), as it aligns with the journal's focus on integrating diverse medical disciplines and advancing patient-centered care. Furthermore, it contributes to the journal's broader interest in exploring innovative healthcare solutions and the increasing demand for complementary and alternative medicine, particularly in the context of medical tourism.
Keywords: Medical Tourism, Korean medical tourism, Foreign patients, herbal medicines, traditional Korean medicines
Received: 31 May 2025; Accepted: 28 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Kim, Lee, Kim, Lee and Park. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Jeong-Su Park, Semyung University, Jecheon, Republic of Korea
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.