Seoul Deploys 1,000 Medical Tourism Interpreters to Meet Record Foreign Demand

Approximately one million foreign medical tourists—accounting for 85% of all such visitors to South Korea—are now flocking to Seoul. In response to this surge, the city government has announced a dramatic expansion of its dedicated interpretation services, increasing the number of specialized personnel to 1,000 starting this year.

On the 9th, the City of Seoul confirmed the initiative, stating, "Starting this year, we will increase the pool of 'Seoul Medical Tourism Interpreters,' who serve as the primary point of contact for foreign patients receiving treatments and procedures, to 1,000." This represents a nearly tenfold increase from the previous pool of 108 interpreters.

Specialized Consultation and Language Expansion

Seoul Medical Tourism Interpreters are specialized professionals who provide both clinical interpretation and medical tourism consultation for international patients visiting healthcare institutions or hosting organizations within the capital.

To facilitate this recruitment, the city signed a formal business agreement with the K-Medical Tourism Association on the 6th. "Through this agreement, we plan to expand our pool of dedicated personnel, focusing not only on English, Japanese, and Chinese but also on minority languages such as Russian and Arabic, which have seen a recent increase in visitors to Seoul," a city official remarked.

Record-Breaking Growth in Medical Tourism

The scale of the expansion reflects the rapid growth of the sector. The number of medical tourists visiting South Korea in 2024 reached an estimated 1,170,467, with approximately 85%—or 999,642 people—visiting Seoul alone. This figure marks a record high and a 2.1-fold increase compared to the previous year.

Kim Myung-joo, Director of the Tourism and Sports Bureau of Seoul, emphasized the importance of clear communication in healthcare. "We will increase the number of interpreters so that foreign medical tourists can receive precise medical services," Kim stated. "By providing accurate information, we aim to enhance the trust and satisfaction of foreign patients throughout their stay."