"South Koreans Are All Buying It to Take Home"... This "Drug" Costs 350,000 Won in Korea but Just 80,000 Won in Japan

Nikkei Spotlights South Korea's "Sushijaro"
5,030 Illegal Import Cases Detected Through August

The number of South Koreans traveling to Japan to buy the weight-loss drug Mounjaro at lower prices and bring it back to South Korea is surging. As these shopping trips become more common, cases of illegal importation are also on the rise.

On October 8, Japan's Nikkei newspaper reported that as cases of illegal importation of Mounjaro, a drug used to treat diabetes and obesity, surge in South Korea, more South Korean tourists are buying the product in Japan.

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Japan Cut Mounjaro's Price in August

Nikkei reported that a new slang term, "Sushizaro," combining Mounjaro with sushi, has emerged to describe Mounjaro bought in Japan. It also said that Japanese medical institutions where Mounjaro can be prescribed at low prices are being called "holy sites," and information about them is being shared on social media. One buyer said, "Even including round-trip airfare and accommodation, buying it in Japan is much cheaper."

The main reason South Koreans are buying Mounjaro in Japan is the price difference. A month's supply of the lowest-dose, 2.5 mg product costs about 10,000 yen (about 84,000 won) in Japan, compared with 280,000 to 350,000 won in South Korea.

In August 2026, Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare cut Mounjaro's price by 25% to reduce medical expenses. This lowered the purchase price in Japan even further, and more South Korean tourists seeking cheaper Mounjaro are bringing back medication prescribed by Japanese medical institutions.

Illegal Imports of Weight-Loss Drugs Surge

However, bringing Mounjaro into South Korea is illegal without approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, even if it was prescribed by a licensed medical institution overseas. The Korea Customs Service has also stepped up enforcement, including by strengthening inspections during customs clearance. According to the agency, the number of cases in which illegal imports of Mounjaro and other weight-loss drugs such as Wegovy were detected surged from four in all of 2024 to 5,030 through August 2026.

In South Korea, national health insurance does not cover Mounjaro when it is used to treat obesity, so patients must pay the full cost themselves. Because medical institutions can set their own prices for non-covered care, prices can easily become high amid strong demand for cosmetic and weight-loss treatments.

According to data submitted by Han Ji-a, a lawmaker from the People Power Party, from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, the number of Mounjaro prescriptions in South Korea exceeded 1.5 million during the 10-month period from August 2025 through May 2026. People in their 20s and 30s accounted for more than half of the prescriptions, and prescriptions for teenagers have also been increasing recently.

Weight-loss drugs such as Mounjaro are used to treat patients with obesity who meet certain body mass index (BMI) criteria, or patients with type 2 diabetes. However, as their use for cosmetic purposes and weight loss becomes more widespread, concerns about misuse and overuse are growing.

Yonhap News Agency

A survey conducted by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency in 2025 found that 68.5% of adults said they were trying to lose weight or maintain their weight. The desire to lose weight was particularly strong among young women. According to the agency, 16.2% of women aged 19 to 29 with a BMI below 18.5, which is considered underweight, were dieting, while more than half of women with a normal weight were also trying to lose weight.

Nikkei noted that a trend favoring celebrities with extremely thin bodies is spreading in South Korea, where the slang term "Ppyeomalla" has emerged to describe a body so thin that the bones are visible. It also reported that many young people are influenced by information they encounter on social media and follow extreme diets that claim to produce dramatic weight loss.

There are also concerns that if bulk purchases of Mounjaro in Japan become more common, there may not be enough of the drug for patients who genuinely need treatment. Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare is urging people to use Mounjaro appropriately.

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