B2B consultations with local travel industry Thursday in LA, with six Gangnam medical institutions joining to expand patient referral networks; consumer briefing in Orange County on Saturday features eight medical institutions presenting services by specialty
Gangnam-gu is heading to Los Angeles and Orange County this week to court American medical tourists, holding back-to-back events for local travel industry players and consumers on Thursday and Saturday.
The LA stop aims to broaden ties with travel agencies that package and arrange medical tourism products, while the Orange County event will give prospective patients a direct look at Gangnam's medical institutions and the services they offer — all part of the district's push to deepen its foothold in the US market.
Gangnam-gu drew 650,958 foreign patients in 2025, setting a record for the third consecutive year and marking a 72.6 percent increase from the previous year. American patients numbered 52,176, ranking third among all countries. With an eye on the US market's growth potential, the district has tailored separate events for industry partners and consumers alike.
On Thursday, Gangnam-gu will take part in the "2026 K-Medical Tourism B2B LA" event hosted by the Korea Tourism Organization at the JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE. Six Gangnam partner institutions — Chaum Medical Center, Gwangdong Hospital, JK Plastic Surgery, DM Dermatology Clinic, Gangnam JS Hospital and Cheotnunae Eye Clinic — will join a total of 12 domestic medical institutions and patient-referral agencies for one-on-one business consultations with US travel industry representatives. Alongside the consultations, a medical tourism seminar and networking session will give participating institutions a chance to highlight their specialties and differentiated services, and to explore partnership opportunities and future business prospects in the American market.
On Saturday, Gangnam-gu and the Gangnam Medical Tourism Association will hold the "2026 Gangnam Medical Tourism Briefing" at the DoubleTree by Hilton Buena Park in Orange County. The six institutions from the LA event will be joined by Gangnam Nanoori Hospital and Podo Women's Clinic, bringing the total to eight medical institutions meeting directly with local consumers.
The briefing will cover treatment programs across specialties including health checkups and wellness, dermatology and plastic surgery, ophthalmology, spine and joint care, and women's health. Attendees can consult with individual institutions to learn about treatments suited to their needs, as well as booking procedures and how to navigate the process. The focus is on providing concrete, practical information that moves beyond simple promotion and helps turn interest into actual visits and treatment in Gangnam.
The district will also introduce its foreign patient support services, including the Gangnam Medical Tour Center, the medical tourism platform Medical Gangnam, and a one-stop concierge service covering airport transfers and interpretation — walking overseas patients through every step of receiving care in Gangnam.
On Friday, between the two events, district officials will meet with local medical professionals to exchange information on the US healthcare market and system. Visits to major local medical institutions and media interviews will give the delegation a closer look at the American healthcare landscape and medical tourism trends to inform future market strategy.
Following the US events, Gangnam-gu plans to participate in Cosmobeauty Indonesia 2026 in Tangerang, Indonesia, from Oct. 1 to 3, extending its overseas patient outreach into the Southeast Asian medical tourism market.
"The United States is becoming a key market for Gangnam medical tourism, so it is important to expand our patient referral network on the ground and introduce Gangnam's medical services directly," Gangnam-gu District Mayor Kim Hyun-ki said. "We will actively support overseas outreach — through local briefings, trade fair participation and more — so that more international patients can discover Gangnam's outstanding medical institutions."
seouldream01@heraldcorp.com
