Breast augmentation in Seoul: four clinics compared

Breast augmentation ranks seventh among cosmetic operations in Korea by one international estimate, against third worldwide. This page compares four Gangnam clinics that offer it in English. Each is described under the same headings, from its own pages, and then checked against two public records.

How the four were chosen and checked

U&U comes first. The other three appeared in English search results for “breast augmentation korea”, “boob job korea”, “breast augmentation korea price” and “seoul breast augmentation clinic” on 30 September 2026, after leaving out booking agencies, directories and a clinic in Jeju, and follow in alphabetical order. All four are registered as clinics (의원) rather than hospitals.

Each clinic was then looked up in the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service’s hospital information service, which lists the doctors and specialists an institution reports and notes that the counts change as staff change, and in the medicalkorea registry of institutions registered to attract foreign patients. All four have a registration record there. For a comparison of the same kind for eyelid surgery, see eyelid surgery clinics in Seoul.

What to know about implants first

The US Food and Drug Administration’s starting point is that breast implants are not considered lifetime devices, and that the longer they are in, the greater the chance of complications. The commonest is capsular contracture, the tightening of the scar capsule that forms around every implant. A 2015 review in Archives of Plastic Surgery called it the most common complication of implant surgery and one of the most common reasons for reoperation, with an overall incidence of 10.6 per cent. The FDA grades III and IV as severe, and notes that it has not cleared or approved any device to treat or reduce contracture. Several clinics below describe their own measures against it; none publishes data on them.

The second point concerns the surface texture of the implant. In July 2019 the FDA asked Allergan to recall its BIOCELL textured implants, reporting that their risk of breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL) was about six times that of other manufacturers’ textured implants. Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety ordered clinics to stop using them on 16 August 2019, and later that month asked clinics to stop using other manufacturers’ textured implants as well; we did not establish the current status of that request. In its guidance on the Allergan implants the ministry cites an incidence of BIA-ALCL of about 0.003 to 0.03 per cent from studies published in 2017 and 2019, does not recommend removing implants from people without symptoms to prevent it, and recommends a yearly check once an implant has been in for a year. A 2021 review in the Journal of the Korean Medical Association counted three cases reported in Korea and named texturing as the most important factor. Two of the four clinics below, U&U and WOOA, describe a micro-textured Mentor implant as an option alongside smooth ones, so ask which surface you are being offered.

Silicone gel breast implants are also tracked devices in Korea: the clinic must keep records that allow the patient to be traced, so the product name, size and serial number are on file. Ask for them in writing.

U&U Plastic Surgery

Who operates. U&U (유앤유성형외과의원) is in the Myungkwang Building, 819 Nonhyeon-ro, Sinsa-dong, a five-minute walk from exit 4 of Apgujeong Station on Line 3. It describes itself as a breast-only clinic, and its milestones page dates the opening to June 2020, with an expansion in 2023 to about 1,650 square metres in one building. Its staff page describes three board-certified plastic surgeons: the chief director, Dr Kikap Kim, and Dr Yunggi Lee, both listed with Seoul National University Hospital, and Dr Jeonghwa Seo, listed with Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital. Dr Kim also lists fellowship training at the University of Chicago and Baylor College of Medicine. The page also lists a general surgeon subspecialised in breast disease, Dr Beomsik Bang, for implant check-ups and cancer screening, and four board-certified anaesthesiologists. The Korean procedure page says the chief director and an experienced specialist perform every step themselves.

The operation. The English augmentation page gives Motiva, Mentor and BOUNS, a Korean-made implant it lists alongside its ministry approval number; the Korean procedure page, by contrast, shows warranty cards for Motiva, Mentor Xtra and Sebbin Integrity rather than BOUNS, and offers Mentor in smooth or micro-textured versions. Three incisions are described on that same Korean page: the fold beneath the breast, about 3 to 4 centimetres, which the surgeon writes is the one used most; the armpit, with an endoscope; and around the areola, which it says it uses only in revisions, because it is known to raise the rate of capsular contracture. Its preference is to place the implant under the muscle fascia, and it uses a dual-plane pocket only for very thin skin. The operation is listed as under an hour, under general anaesthesia, with no drain, same-day discharge and no stitches to remove. The Korean safety page says the clinic operates at most three times a day, keeps an anaesthesiology specialist on site with one-to-one monitoring, and records every operation on two CCTV cameras from start to closure. Before surgery it runs blood tests, a breast ultrasound and a breast cancer blood test, and afterwards it checks implants by ultrasound rather than replacing them on a fixed schedule. It also offers fat transfer and a hybrid of implant and fat, and says that not all transferred fat survives.

Price. U&U does not publish its own price. Its cost page gives a general range for Korea of about 7 to 15 million won and says the figures are not any specific clinic’s prices. The Korean home page and safety page describe unlimited aftercare and a lifetime after-service policy, without setting out its terms, alongside the manufacturers’ warranties.

Patients from abroad. The site runs in Korean, English, Japanese, simplified and traditional Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, Russian, Mongolian and Indonesian, with online consultation in the same languages. Its medical tourism page says interpretation at the clinic depends on the language and the dates. The English procedure page describes a wound check at one week, five sessions of laser care and a return to work around day three to seven, says surgery can happen on the day of the consultation if the schedule allows, and says progress is followed online after you go home.

Public records. HIRA lists seven doctors: three plastic surgery specialists, three anaesthesiology specialists and one general surgery specialist, one anaesthesiologist fewer than the staff page. The medicalkorea registry has a record for its business number, and its certification page gives the registration number, valid until 14 July 2029.

DA Plastic Surgery

Who operates. DA (디에이성형외과의원) occupies several floors of a building at 125 Teheran-ro, Yeoksam-dong, three minutes from exit 12 of Gangnam Station. It is a multi-specialty clinic covering face, nose, eyes, body, skin and breast, and its pages do not give an opening year. It does not say in text which of its doctors perform breast surgery: the English doctors page lists about 40 names, and the profiles are images.

The operation. The English breast page lists Mentor Xtra, Motiva and Mentor Smooth, and the Korean breast site adds BOUNS. Incisions are through the armpit or under the breast, with an endoscope and a Keller funnel for inserting the implant. The page describes one-day surgery with no drain and discharge the same day, an intercostal nerve block for pain, a 3D scan to preview the result, an examination by a breast specialist, anti-fibrotic medication for three months after surgery, and an aftercare programme including ultrasound therapy and a hyperbaric oxygen chamber. Its safety page says nine anaesthesiologists work in the clinic, with one anaesthesiologist per operation, and lists dantrolene, a defibrillator and an uninterruptible power supply. Fat grafting is offered separately, under local anaesthesia.

Price. It does not appear on the English version of the site, and the clinic’s Korean list of non-covered fees, as posted, contains no entry for breast augmentation.

Patients from abroad. Interpreting in Chinese, English, Japanese, Thai, Mongolian, Indonesian, Vietnamese and Russian, a desk serving foreign patients, a limousine transport service, and contact through WhatsApp, KakaoTalk or LINE.

Public records. HIRA lists 40 doctors: 24 plastic surgery specialists and nine anaesthesiology specialists among them, the largest team of the four. The medicalkorea registry has a record for its business number.

VIEW Plastic Surgery

Who operates. VIEW (뷰성형외과의원) is at 107 Bongeunsa-ro, Nonhyeon-dong, by Sinnonhyeon Station on Line 9. Its history page dates the opening to 2005. It is multi-specialty, with a separate breast section. The staff page lists four board-certified plastic surgeons with breast among their areas, led by the chief executive, Dr Choi Soon Woo, listed with Seoul National University Hospital; a general surgeon for breast disease; and six anaesthesiologists.

The operation. Motiva, Mentor and Sebbin implants. The breast page describes what it calls a “Dual-plane V” pocket, two-thirds under the muscle and one-third under the gland, says the incision is chosen according to the chest and skeleton without listing the options, and describes a full HD endoscope, a Keller funnel, no drain and same-day discharge with an optional stay. A clinic article says its anaesthesiologists are resident in the building rather than on call, and that patients who ask can see the operating room on CCTV. The clinic says it examines breasts by mammography, ultrasound and Mammotome, run by breast disease and radiology specialists on site; HIRA lists a general surgery specialist but no radiology specialist. Its Motiva page describes the manufacturer’s programme as covering reoperation for rupture or grade III or IV contracture within five years, up to 3 million won per implant, and the clinic’s article says revisions for a change of mind usually cost extra.

Price. No price is made public: according to the breast page, a personal quote comes after a free consultation. In the clinic’s 2026 cost article, primary augmentation in Seoul is put at 6,000 to 15,000 US dollars, split by implant brand, and the source of those numbers is not given. That same article advises a stay of at least 10 to 14 days in Seoul.

Patients from abroad. Free online consultation and interpretation in ten languages, airport transfers, rooms inside the clinic building, remote follow-up after you go home, and contact through WhatsApp, LINE, KakaoTalk or Viber.

Public records. HIRA lists a total of 23 doctors, including 14 specialists in plastic surgery and six specialists in anaesthesiology. The medicalkorea registry has an entry for the clinic’s business number.

WOOA Plastic Surgery

Who operates. WOOA (우아성형외과의원) occupies the third to sixth floors of a building at 492 Gangnam-daero, two minutes from exit 3 of Sinnonhyeon Station on Line 9, with a dermatology clinic on higher floors. Its timeline records a change of name to WOOA in 2019 but no opening date. Its breast centre page names three chief directors: Dr Kim Woo-jung, a board-certified plastic surgeon with a doctorate from Seoul National University, described as specialising in armpit-incision surgery; Dr Park Young-ji, a board-certified plastic surgeon who lists an associate professorship at Gyeongsang National University Hospital; and Dr Park Hae-yeon, a board-certified plastic surgeon from Samsung Medical Center. It lists one anaesthesiologist.

The operation. Motiva Ergonomix, Mentor Xtra and Mentor Boost implants, with Mentor in smooth or micro-textured versions. Incisions through the armpit or the fold under the breast, with a full HD endoscope, and what the clinic calls a “Triple-Plane” pocket, which it says reduces animation deformity compared with a dual plane; it gives no data. Anaesthesia is by an on-site anaesthesiologist, with an intercostal block; the safety list includes single-use instruments and dantrolene. The incision is closed with medical glue, and a drain is removed the day after surgery. The pages do not give the operating time or the length of stay. Aftercare is described as unlimited, and the clinic describes a Mentor lifetime warranty for implants used in Korea.

Price. Not published.

Patients from abroad. Separate sites in several languages, 24-hour urgent care with professional interpreters, and contact through WhatsApp, LINE or KakaoTalk. The home page says tax refunds are available for travellers; the refund of VAT on cosmetic surgery for foreign patients ended on 31 December 2025, so check what the clinic means before counting on it.

Public records. HIRA lists 14 doctors, including six plastic surgery specialists and one anaesthesiology specialist. The medicalkorea registry has a record for its business number, under a Nonhyeon-ro address that differs from the one on its website and at HIRA.

Side by side

What none of the pages answers

No clinic here publishes the price it will actually charge, and none sets out in writing what its own revision policy covers, as distinct from the implant manufacturer’s warranty. Before paying a deposit, get these on paper:

• The implant: its brand, model, surface type (smooth or textured), size and serial number for its tracked-device record.
• Who operates and who anaesthetises, by name. Check the surgeon’s certification as how to choose a clinic in Korea describes, and read our piece on ghost surgery for why the name matters.
• The CCTV question. If you will receive general anaesthesia, which U&U’s page lists for augmentation, Korea’s rule on operating-room CCTV applies to the operation; is plastic surgery in Korea safe? explains how to request a recording.
• An itemised price covers implants, anaesthesia, tests, medication, aftercare sessions, follow-up imaging and any overnight stay.
• The revision terms: which costs the clinic itself pays if contracture develops or an implant ruptures, how long this coverage lasts and what the clinic charges if you simply want another size.
• How long to stay in Seoul, as distinct from when you leave the clinic. U&U, DA and VIEW describe same-day discharge, and only VIEW gives a figure for the stay in Seoul; how long to stay in Korea for surgery explains the reasoning.

The cost guide sets out the reasons Korean surgery prices are published so rarely, and the checklist puts these questions on a single page for the consultation.