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A growing number of Black American women are traveling to South Korea for preventive medical care, saying faster access to specialists, comprehensive screenings, and more attentive treatment are helping uncover health conditions they believe were missed or delayed in the United States, The Guardian reports.
The trend is helping fuel South Korea’s expanding medical tourism industry, which attracted a record 2.01 million international patients in 2025, according to the country’s Ministry of Health and Welfare. The figure marks the first time annual foreign patient visits have surpassed 2 million since the government began tracking the data in 2009.
Many travelers say South Korea offers streamlined care that allows patients to complete extensive diagnostic testing, imaging, and specialist consultations in a matter of days rather than weeks or months.
Among them is Adzua Agyapon, a 36-year-old nonprofit professional from Washington, who traveled to Seoul in April 2026 for a preventive health evaluation after hearing about the country’s comprehensive screening programs. During the visit, doctors discovered a 10-centimeter uterine fibroid through an ultrasound before confirming the diagnosis with an MRI.
Agyapon told the outlet she had undergone annual medical exams in the United States, but the growth had never been identified-the evaluation cost just under $600.
“The experience was night and day,” Agyapon said.
Elizabeth Oputa, a 42-year-old brand strategist from Jersey City, New Jersey, has also traveled to South Korea for preventive screenings, alopecia treatment, and dermatological care. Oputa said appointments in the United States often felt rushed, while providers in South Korea spent more time discussing her concerns and explaining treatment options.
Their experiences reflect longstanding racial disparities documented throughout the U.S. healthcare system. Research has found that Black women are more likely to experience delayed diagnoses for conditions including uterine fibroids, endometriosis, and some cancers. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also reports that Black women are about three times more likely than white women to die from pregnancy-related causes.
Health experts note that individual experiences vary and that the quality of care differs among hospitals and providers in every country. Medical tourism can also pose challenges for follow-up treatment once patients return home, and it remains financially out of reach for many due to airfare, lodging, and out-of-pocket medical costs.
Still, the women interviewed said the opportunity to receive timely, comprehensive care outweighs the inconvenience of traveling overseas, underscoring growing frustration with disparities they say continue to shape healthcare experiences in the United States.
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