Gangnam Medical Tour Center named among Seoul's top 100 wellness destinations

The Gangnam Medical Tour Center, Gangnam-gu's hub for foreign medical tourism, has been named to the Seoul Metropolitan Government's "2026 Seoul Wellness Tourism 100" list in the "rest" category.

Building on the recognition, the center will launch a special K-beauty and healing program for foreign tourists in conjunction with "Seoul Wellness Travel Week," which begins Saturday.

The "Seoul Wellness Tourism 100" is a project through which the Seoul Metropolitan Government identifies outstanding beauty and wellness tourism resources to promote to domestic and international visitors. This year's list covers 52 sites in the "rest" category — encompassing healing, meditation and medical experiences — 17 in the "taste" category, which focuses on health food and traditional cuisine, and 31 in the "style" category, covering beauty, spa and cultural arts. A total of 26 Gangnam-gu sites made the list, including the Gangnam Medical Tour Center, Bongeunsa Temple, Seonjeongneung, Samsung Haemaji Park, the Yangjae Stream Waterfront Cultural Rest Area, Pilgyeongjae, Boston Chamber Salon and the Coreana Cosmetics Museum of Beauty.

The Gangnam Medical Tour Center serves as a medical tourism hub that guides foreign visitors to healthcare providers in Gangnam, offers professional consultations and connects patients with interpretation services. On top of providing medical information, it runs a range of cultural experience programs to help foreign visitors enjoy health, beauty and relaxation in Gangnam. Its combination of medical tourism services with K-beauty and healing experiences earned it a place in the "rest" category.

A series of Seoul Metropolitan Government programs tied to "2026 Seoul Wellness Travel Week" will accompany the listing. During the pre-event period Saturday and Sunday, Bongeunsa Temple will host healing experiences including Seon meditation and Seon martial arts. On Monday, Pilgyeongjae will offer a hansik and hanji craft exhibition. During the main event period, from Saturday through Nov. 4, Boston Chamber Salon will hold healing performances featuring traditional Korean music.

The Gangnam Medical Tour Center will run its "K-Culture Healing Special Program" — open to foreign tourists — on three occasions. On Saturday at 1 p.m., it will offer a personal color diagnosis session to help participants find the shades that suit them best. On Nov. 3, a healing yoga class will run at 2 p.m., followed at 3 p.m. by an aromatherapy workshop where participants can create their own signature scent.

Gangnam-gu plans to use the listing as a springboard to expand tourism programs linking medical services, K-beauty and cultural experiences, and to broaden the role of the Gangnam Medical Tour Center.

"Adding K-beauty and cultural healing content to Gangnam's excellent medical infrastructure will allow us to offer foreign tourists an even more attractive travel experience," Gangnam-gu District Mayor Kim Hyun-ki said. "We will continue to develop tourism content that lets visitors enjoy health, beauty and relaxation all in one place in Gangnam, and strengthen our competitiveness as a global wellness destination."