Korea Market Entry / Insights

Korea Market Entry Playbook · 4 min read

Selling Medical Devices and Healthcare Solutions to Korean Hospitals

By Brian JY Yoo, LinkedIn B2B Growth Strategist, Founder of Founders Lab · October 23, 2026

Korea is one of the most attractive healthcare markets in Asia. Its large tertiary hospitals are research-driven, quick to try new technology, and closely watched by every other hospital in the country. It is also a market where foreign medical device and healthcare companies often stall for a year, waiting for the right introduction.

I built the Korean market for SOPHiA GENETICS, the Swiss genomics and data analytics company, when it was still an early-stage SaaS business. In the first year we ran pilot tests with all of Korea's Big 5 hospitals, signed 80 customer accounts, and generated $200,000 in revenue. More recently, a UK medical device company we supported as a part-time Korea consultant reached product testing and first sales at more than ten hospitals. This guide shares what made the difference.

01
Understand how Korean hospitals are organized

Not every hospital buys the same way. Plan your approach by tier.

• The Big 5: Seoul National University Hospital, Samsung Medical Center, Asan Medical Center, Severance Hospital and Seoul St. Mary's Hospital. Large research budgets, many clinical departments, and enormous influence on the rest of the market.
• Other tertiary and university hospitals across Seoul and the regions. Often follow the Big 5 once a reference exists.
• General hospitals, specialty hospitals and clinics. Faster decisions, more price-sensitive, usually reached through distributors.

A reference at one Big 5 hospital opens conversations across the country. That is why most successful entries start at the top, even though it takes longer.

02
Start with key opinion leaders and pilots, not purchasing

In Korean tertiary hospitals, a new technology usually enters through a physician or lab director who wants to use it, publish with it, or solve a specific clinical problem. Purchasing comes later.

• Identify the department heads and researchers already publishing in your area. LinkedIn, conference programs and Korean medical society events are good places to start.
• Offer a defined pilot: a clear scope, a fixed period, and the data the hospital will get at the end.
• Support the pilot in Korean, on site, quickly. Response time during the pilot often matters more than the product features.

With SOPHiA GENETICS, pilot tests at all Big 5 hospitals came first. Those pilots created the references that helped us reach labs and regional hospitals through a partner network, and to 80 accounts within the year.

03
Choose the right distributor

Most foreign medical device companies sell through a Korean distributor. A good one already has hospital relationships, handles import and registration logistics, and provides local service. A poor one adds your product to a long catalogue and waits.

• Ask which hospitals and departments their sales team visits every week, by name.
• Check whether they already sell a complementary product to the same department.
• Ask who will hold the product registration, and what happens to it if you change distributors later.
• Start with clear first-year targets before granting long-term national exclusivity.

04
Run regulation and sales in parallel

Medical devices in Korea are regulated by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS), and some products also need a reimbursement review before hospitals can bill for them. These processes take time and require specialists. Bring in an experienced regulatory consultant early.

The mistake is to wait for approval before starting any sales conversations. Use that period to build relationships with key opinion leaders, line up a distributor, prepare Korean-language materials, and agree on research or pilot projects where they are allowed. When approval arrives, you should already have a list of hospitals ready to start.

05
Prepare materials for Korean clinicians

• A Korean one-page summary of clinical evidence, with references.
• Case studies from hospitals Korean physicians recognize, especially in Asia.
• A clear explanation of how your product fits into existing hospital workflows and IT systems.
• A named local contact who can answer clinical and technical questions in Korean.

Korean physicians often read English research papers fluently, but a Korean summary shows that you are committed to the market and makes it easier for them to share your product internally.

06
A realistic first-year plan

• Months 1 to 3: market and competitor scan, regulatory pathway confirmed with a specialist, target hospital and KOL list, first meetings.
• Months 3 to 6: distributor shortlist and selection, first pilot or research collaboration at a tertiary hospital.
• Months 6 to 12: pilot results shared, references used to reach more hospitals, first commercial orders.

You do not need a Korean entity or a full-time country manager to follow this plan. Both of the results in this article were achieved by one experienced person working with headquarters, first as a Korea manager and later as a part-time consultant.

If you are planning a healthcare entry into Korea, the Korea Fit Check is a low-risk first step: a market scan, a target list and at least one arranged meeting with a Korean hospital or partner. For ongoing work, the Part-time Korea Consultant and Country Manager as a Service plans are explained in Hiring a Country Manager in Korea.

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