Where Are the Plastic Surgery Clinics in Seoul? Gangnam, Sinsa and Apgujeong Explained
Most of Seoul's plastic surgery clinics sit in a few Gangnam neighborhoods, while checkups happen at big hospitals across the city. What that means for where you stay.
Short answer: In Gangnam, south of the Han River. A 2003 study found about 93% of Gangnam's plastic surgery clinics in five neighborhoods: Apgujeong, Sinsa, Cheongdam, Nonhyeon and Yeoksam. Health checkups are different. They happen at large university hospitals spread across the city.
If your trip is one operation, you'll spend nearly all of it within a few subway stops. If it's a checkup plus treatment, you'll cross Seoul at least once, and the order of the days starts to matter.
Why are so many clinics in Gangnam?
Clinics followed each other there from the late 1990s on, and the cluster became the brand. The same study counted 206 plastic surgery clinics in Gangnam in 2003, and about three quarters had opened after 1999.
The density is useful and confusing at once. Hundreds of clinics in a small area means real specialists and general physicians share the same streets, often the same buildings. Reading the clinic's Korean name is the quickest way to tell them apart.
What are the main plastic surgery neighborhoods?
| Area | What it's like |
|---|---|
| Sinsa (around Sinsa Station and Garosu-gil) | The densest cluster of large clinics. Busy, walkable, plenty of hotels. |
| Apgujeong | Older, established clinics around Apgujeong Station and Rodeo Street. |
| Cheongdam | Quieter, higher-end, more boutique clinics and dermatology. |
| Nonhyeon and Gangnam Station | Mixed clinic buildings, many mid-size practices, good transport. |
| Yeoksam | Office district with clinics and medium-priced hotels. |
Distances are short. Most clinic-to-clinic trips inside this area are 10 to 20 minutes by car.
Where do health checkups happen?
At large general hospitals with international patient centers, and they aren't in the clinic district. A few of the best known:
- Samsung Medical Center, Irwon-dong, southern Gangnam.
- Asan Medical Center, Songpa, east of Gangnam.
- Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, Banpo, Seocho.
- Severance Hospital, Sinchon, northwest of the river.
- Seoul National University Hospital, Jongno, in the old city center.
A checkup at Severance and surgery in Sinsa are about 40 to 60 minutes apart by car in traffic. That's fine on separate days, and a bad idea on the same morning as fasting.
Where should you stay?
Near the clinic where the surgery happens, not near the sights. After surgery you'll go back for checks, drain removal and dressing changes, and a 10-minute ride matters more than a view.
Our recovery timeline guide covers how long you'll need the room.
How do we handle the geography?
We plan the days so you cross the city only when it's worth it, and we drive you there.
- One schedule across hospitals. The checkup first, at a university hospital. Treatments and surgery after, in Gangnam.
- A hotel picked for the clinic. Walking distance or a short ride from where you'll have surgery.
- Pickup at Incheon and rides to every appointment. The airport is about 60 to 90 minutes from Gangnam by car.
Frequently asked questions
Which area of Seoul is best for plastic surgery?
There isn't a best area. Most clinics are in Gangnam, mainly Sinsa, Apgujeong, Cheongdam, Nonhyeon and Yeoksam. Choose the surgeon first and stay near their clinic.
Are Gangnam clinics all run by specialists?
No. Specialists and general physicians practice side by side there. Check whether the clinic's Korean name includes 성형외과, then verify the operating surgeon.
Where are health checkups done in Seoul?
At large general hospitals such as Samsung Medical Center, Asan Medical Center, Seoul St. Mary's, Severance and Seoul National University Hospital. Most have international patient centers.
How far is Incheon Airport from Gangnam?
About 60 to 90 minutes by car, depending on traffic.
Get free, itemized quotes from 2–3 specialist clinics
Two taps and an email address. We ask clinics run by board-certified specialists for line-by-line quotes and the dates they can take you, and email them to you, usually within two business days. Free, and no obligation.
Keep reading
- Do You Need a Medical Visa for Surgery in Korea?
Americans get 90 days visa-free in Korea and Canadians six months, which covers almost any cosmetic trip. When the C-3-3 and G-1-10 medical visas actually matter, and what they ask for.
- What Happens If You Get a Complication After Flying Home From Korea?
Who you call first, when to skip the Korean clinic and go to a US emergency room, what Korea's 2026 foreign-patient telemedicine law changes, and what US surgeons say about treating patients who had surgery abroad.
This guide is general information for people researching treatment abroad. It is not medical advice and does not establish a patient relationship. Only a licensed surgeon who has examined you can say whether a procedure is appropriate for you.