Korean Medical Services Rank Fifth in Favorable Perception Among 19 Leading Countries
Awareness of Korean Medical Services Rises to 68.1%, Up 3.2 Percentage Points from Previous Year
Korean medical services ranked fifth in terms of positive perception among the 19 countries leading the global biohealth industry.
Dongwoo Han, Head of the International Medical Division at the Korea Health Industry Development Institute, is presenting the results of the "2024 Survey on Overseas Perception of Korean Medical Services" at a press conference held at BizHub in Jung-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 7th. Photo by Taewon Choi
On the morning of August 7, the Korea Health Industry Development Institute announced the results of the "2024 Survey on Overseas Perception of Korean Medical Services" at a press conference held at BizHub in Jung-gu, Seoul. The survey targeted 15 countries (22 cities), including the United States, China, and Japan, which are the top destinations for Korean medical institutions' expansion, patient attraction, and biohealth product exports. The survey was conducted online from November 25 to December 18 last year, targeting 6,800 general consumers in these countries.
According to the results, overseas biohealth industry consumers ranked their perception of Korean medical services fifth among the surveyed countries. Both medical devices and pharmaceuticals ranked sixth.
The main reasons cited by respondents with a favorable view of the Korean biohealth industry were Korea's image as a technology powerhouse, interest in Korean popular culture, and interest in Korean bio products, in that order.
Awareness of Korean medical services showed an upward trend. 68.1% of respondents said they were aware of Korean medical services, an increase of 3.2 percentage points from the previous year's 64.9%.
The rate of experience using Korean hospitals (medical facilities) also increased. Last year, 19.9% of foreigners reported having used a Korean hospital, up 6.3 percentage points from 13.6% the previous year.
The most significant factor influencing the decision to use a Korean hospital was "recommendations from specialized hospitals and doctors," followed by "reviews and ratings on social networking services (SNS)."
By gender and age, men were more influenced by SNS, recommendations from acquaintances, and advertisements, while women were more influenced by "recommendations from specialized hospitals and doctors." Additionally, the younger the respondents, the greater the influence of SNS, whereas the older the respondents, the greater the influence of "recommendations from family and acquaintances."
YouTube (58.9%) was the most frequently used platform for accessing information related to medical services, followed by Google (46.4%), Facebook (23.0%), and Instagram (22.4%).
An analysis of the relationship between key perceptions related to medical services showed that the lower a country's trust in its own medical services, the higher the tendency to consider using Korean medical services for treatment purposes.
Handong Woo, Head of the International Medical Division at the Korea Health Industry Development Institute, stated, "This survey is significant as the first independent study to precisely analyze awareness and favorability of Korean medical services by country, and to comprehensively assess their connection to biohealth products. The results are expected to serve as practical indicators for developing global branding strategies for Korean medical services, setting country-specific expansion priorities, and establishing localization marketing strategies."
Meanwhile, the Korea Health Industry Development Institute has been conducting the overseas perception survey of Korean medical services annually since 2021. The purpose is to support domestic companies and medical institutions in developing customized strategies for overseas expansion in each country.
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