[Market Focus] PharmaResearch Draws Attention as Foreign Media Spotlight 'K-Injections' in Gangnam... Skin Boosters in the Global Spotlight

PharmaResearch and other stocks related to skin boosters are showing strong performance. This renewed attention appears to be driven by President Lee Jaemyung's recent mention of "plastic surgery tourism" as a strategy to boost the tourism industry.

As of 2:42 p.m. on September 11, PharmaResearch was trading at 659,000 won, up 2.81% from the previous trading day.

During a recent Cabinet meeting, President Lee Jaemyung stated, "Foreign plastic surgery tourists often stay for two weeks to a month," adding, "K-beauty, K-food, and K-culture-especially film-are the main focus, but food and plastic surgery are actually much higher value-added industries." Choi Hwiyeong, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, responded, "Medical tourism is a sector that needs to be promoted, as it involves longer stays and higher spending."

Recently, with the global popularity of the animation "K-Pop Demon Hunters," the number of tourists coming to Korea to experience medical beauty treatments has been increasing. These visitors are known to receive skin booster injections and various cosmetic laser procedures in Korea.

The skin booster Rejuran, first launched by PharmaResearch, is an injectable product that delivers polynucleotide (PN), a biocompatible substance extracted from salmon DNA, into the dermal layer of the skin. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) also recently reported that "American women are choosing to travel to Korea to receive the cosmetic injection Rejuran."

According to Korea Tourism Data Lab, foreign medical spending reached 168.7 billion won as of June, marking an increase of about 56%. Of this, 53.16% was spent at dermatology clinics and 25.48% at plastic surgery clinics.

Recently, Renuva, an alternative to autologous fat grafting released by MTF Biologics, the largest nonprofit tissue bank in the United States, has been gaining attention. Rumors have spread that several famous Hollywood stars, who have appeared with smooth, wrinkle-free faces, may have undergone Renuva procedures, fueling its rise as a new trend. In Korea, Elravie Re20 is attracting attention. Both Renuva and Elravie Re20 utilize extracellular matrix (ECM) to promote the regeneration of the patient's own tissue. Six months after the Elravie Re20 procedure, collagen levels increase by 3.9 times and elastin by 3.2 times.