The number of foreign medical tourists in Korea by 2020 could reach 1 million and churn out revenue of 3.5 trillion won (US$3.2 billion), the Korea Tourism Organization said Tuesday.

The organization said the number of people from abroad who visit the country for medical treatment is expected to grow from about 399,000 this year to 998,000 in 2020.

Per capita health spending in Korea by a foreign patient could hit 3.56 million won in 2020, up from 2.53 million won this year, it added. Earnings from foreign patients could reach 3.5 trillion won in 2020, up from just 1 trillion won this year.

Korean medical services, noted for their high quality and cheaper than those of the West, are getting more popular abroad, especially China. China Daily last month said 62 percent of the estimated 31,000 Chinese who visited Korea on 15-day medical tourism visas last year sought cosmetic surgery.

Source: The Korea Observer