1,600 Requests from 73 Countries: Gangnam Unnie’s ‘Unnie Guide’ Sees Rapid Growth

30 Percent Monthly Growth for Five Months After March Launch

Expansion of On-site Interpretation Services and Enhancement of Offline Center Functions

Expanding Partner Hospitals and Supported Languages, Exploring More Personalized Solutions

The cosmetic medical platform "Gangnam Unnie" is experiencing rapid growth with its "Unnie Guide" service, which was launched for foreign patients. By strengthening support for foreign patients—such as on-site interpretation—and upgrading the functions of its offline center, the platform is expanding its footprint in the domestic medical tourism market targeting foreigners.

According to Healing Paper, the operator of Gangnam Unnie, as of August 12, the number of cosmetic medical service requests submitted by foreign patients through Unnie Guide has surpassed 1,600. This milestone was achieved just five months after the official launch of the service in March. Since its introduction, the number of applications has increased by an average of 30 percent per month, and the nationalities of foreign users have spread to 73 countries. The top five countries are Thailand, Taiwan, the United States, China, and Australia, in that order.

Unnie Guide is a service aimed at foreigners seeking to use cosmetic medical services such as dermatology and plastic surgery in Korea. It supports hospital and clinic reservations and interpretation through the website and global chat channels such as LINE, WeChat, and WhatsApp. In addition, an offline hub, the "Unnie Guide Center," is operated in Nonhyeon-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. The "Equal Price" policy, which supports reservations mainly for hospitals and clinics providing the same price information to both domestic and international consumers, is also applied.

One key driver of Unnie Guide's growth has been the expansion of interpretation services all the way to actual medical settings. Gangnam Unnie identified that foreign clients need support not only for online hospital reservations but also throughout the treatment process itself, and consequently enhanced the interpretation service to include in-person accompaniment at hospitals and clinics. Interpreters assist with all aspects of the patient experience—including hospital registration, consultation, treatment or surgical procedures, and payment. Currently, services are available in English, Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Russian, Vietnamese, Mongolian, Indonesian, and more.

The functionality of the offline center is also being continuously upgraded. On the first floor, there is a waiting area for foreign patients as well as skincare and home beauty device experience zones in collaboration with beauty brands such as Anua. On the second floor, the center provides consultations in the language of the patient’s choice, as well as personalized advice based on skin imaging and analysis results. Even after patients return to their home countries, the center continues to support them by providing hospital connections and online consultations if any inquiries or issues arise.

Gangnam Unnie plans to accelerate service expansion in line with the rapid growth of the foreign cosmetic medical market. According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the number of foreign patients visiting Korea reached 2.01 million last year, surpassing 2 million for the first time since related statistics began to be compiled in 2009. In particular, the number of patients from China and Taiwan increased by 137.5 percent and 122.5 percent, respectively, compared to the previous year. From 2009 to 2025, the cumulative number of foreign patients is estimated to reach 7.06 million.

A Unni Guide consultant is consulting with foreign tourists who visited the Unni Guide Center in Nonhyeon-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Gangnam Unni

Healing Paper plans to expand its network of partner hospitals and clinics, increase the number of interpreters, and support additional languages. Additionally, the company is exploring various measures to strengthen its support system and offer a more personalized user experience, covering everything from searching for hospitals and clinics, to treatment and surgery, and even post-procedure consultations after the patient returns to their home country.

Hong Seungil, CEO of Healing Paper, commented, "Unnie Guide is a reliable companion for foreign patients—from the moment they start researching K-cosmetic medical services to the moment they complete their treatments in Korea and return home. We will continue to make efforts to provide an even better experience for both patients and medical providers going forward."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.