Colonoscopy · South Korea
Colonoscopy in South Korea: what it costs and how it compares with waiting at home
Prices checked 26 October 2026 (Taipei time)
Short answer
We found 1 published price for a colonoscopy in South Korea, from ₩550,000, or about £311 before flights and a hotel. Paying privately in the UK costs about £1,890 to £3,510 at the providers we checked.
- Published price
- ₩550,000about £311 · about €371 · about C$581 · about $415
- Price is for
- one diagnostic or screening colonoscopy, with sedation and biopsies shown separately where the clinic prices them separately
- Where
- Seoul
- Providers
- 1 (Kangbuk Samsung Hospital)
- Time there
- 2 days: bowel preparation the day before, the test the next day, and someone to take you back to your hotel after sedation
- NHS England wait
- 30.9% waiting over 6 weeks (August 2026)
Published colonoscopy prices in South Korea
Every row is a price the provider publishes itself, read on the date shown. We copy what the price includes and what it leaves out; where the provider does not say, the row says “not stated”. We do not use prices from brokers or medical-travel agencies.
| Provider | Published price | What the price is for | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kangbuk Samsung HospitalSeoul | ₩550,000about £311 · €371 · C$581 · $415 | Digestive programme: gastroscopy plus sedated colonoscopyAlso upper abdominal ultrasound, blood tests and tumour markers. Colonoscopy not offered over age 80. Undated domestic price page. | Kangbuk Samsung Hospital Total Healthcare Centerread 26 October 2026 |
Prices are copied as published, in the provider's currency. Conversions use the European Central Bank reference rates of 23 October 2026 and are rounded. A provider can change a price at any time: ask for a written quote.
The Kangbuk Samsung prices are from its domestic check-up page, which carries no date and does not say whether foreign patients pay the same. Severance Hospital runs an international health-care centre that takes check-up bookings from abroad and lists sedation for gastroscopy at 156,000 KRW, but we could not find its package prices (Severance).
Compared with waiting or paying at home
The official waiting figure and the self-pay price in each home country, next to the South Korea price converted to that currency. The South Korea figure does not include flights, a hotel or time off work.
| Where you live | Official wait | Pay at home | Here, converted |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK | 30.9% waiting over 6 weeksEngland, August 2026 | £1,890 to £3,510 | £311before flights and hotel |
| Canada | No official figure found | Not verified | C$581before flights and hotel |
| Ireland | About 30% waiting over 6 monthsIreland (public hospitals), 24 September 2026 | Not verified | €371before flights and hotel |
| US | No national figure | $1,6402021 hospital data or a dental school | $415before flights and hotel |
Waits are the latest official statistics; each country measures them differently, so read the label. Home prices are published self-pay prices; for the US they are 2021 hospital medians or a dental school's estimate.
Add your flight and hotel
Put in your own flight and hotel to see the total for South Korea next to your wait and your price at home.
How it works for a visitor
- Ask for a written quoteSend the clinic your referral or reason for the colonoscopy and ask for an itemised price, the date, and what happens if the result needs follow-up.
- Before you goSend the clinic your medicines list, especially blood thinners, diabetes medicines and iron tablets.
- Before you goPlan two nights at least: the preparation day keeps you close to a toilet.
- Before you goDo not fly on the day of the test if you have had sedation or a polyp removed; ask the clinic how long to wait.
- LanguageKorean; the big Seoul hospitals have international health-care centres with English-speaking coordinators.
- Entry rulesCheck the official advice for your passport before booking: UK citizens (FCDO entry requirements), Canadian citizens (travel.gc.ca), US citizens (State Department, choose the country), Irish citizens (DFA travel advice, choose the country).
- After you returnGive your doctor the report, photos and lab results. Ask the clinic to email the lab result if it arrives after you leave.
- After you returnKnow who to call if you have bleeding or tummy pain after you fly home.
Can your public system pay for it?
NHS and HSE schemes do not reach South Korea. The NHS S2 route covers state treatment in the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein, and the HSE schemes cover the EU, EEA, the UK and Switzerland. Treatment in South Korea is paid by you or by a private insurer who agrees in advance. NHS S2 route, HSE Treatment Abroad Scheme.
When not to travel for a colonoscopy
- Bleeding from the bottom, black stools, a change in bowel habit with weight loss, or a positive home screening test: these belong on an urgent pathway at home first. In England, ask your GP about the urgent suspected-cancer referral.
- People with serious heart, lung or kidney disease, or on blood thinners, unless the clinic has reviewed their medicines in advance.
- Travelling alone with no one to collect you after sedation. Clinics usually require an escort.
How to compare colonoscopy quotes
A colonoscopy is a camera test of the large bowel. The day before, you drink a laxative preparation to empty the bowel. Most clinics offer sedation. Small growths (polyps) can be removed during the test and sent to a lab, which can add a fee and a few days for the result.
- Check whether sedation or anaesthesia is in the price. Many price lists show it as a separate line.
- Ask how biopsy and polyp removal are charged, and how long the lab result takes.
- Some clinics only sell a colonoscopy as part of a health-check package.
- Ask whether the bowel preparation is supplied and when you must start it.
Providers on this page
We list providers because they publish a price, not because we recommend them. No clinic pays to be listed, and we have not visited any of them.
- Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Seoul: ₩550,000
Related comparisons
Colonoscopy in South Korea: questions
How much does a colonoscopy cost in South Korea?
The published prices we found range from ₩550,000, about £311 or $415. They come from Kangbuk Samsung Hospital. Each covers something slightly different, so read what is included before comparing.
Is a colonoscopy in South Korea cheaper than paying privately in the UK?
Before travel, the prices here work out at about £311, against about £1,890 to £3,510 at the UK providers we checked. Add a return flight and 3 nights in a hotel before deciding; the calculator on the home page does the sum.
Will the NHS or HSE pay for a colonoscopy in South Korea?
No. The NHS S2 route and the HSE schemes cover planned treatment in Europe only. South Korea is outside them, so you pay yourself or through a private insurer that agrees in advance.
How many days should I plan in South Korea?
2 days: bowel preparation the day before, the test the next day, and someone to take you back to your hotel after sedation. That is our planning estimate, not medical advice: the clinic sets the schedule, and you should ask it for one in writing.
What should I check before booking a colonoscopy in South Korea?
Check whether sedation or anaesthesia is in the price. Many price lists show it as a separate line. Ask how biopsy and polyp removal are charged, and how long the lab result takes.
Sources
- 종합건진 프로그램 (comprehensive check-up programmes). Kangbuk Samsung Hospital Total Healthcare Center, Seoul. Read 26 October 2026.
- Planned treatment: S2 funding route. NHS (nhs.uk). Read 26 October 2026.
- Treatment Abroad Scheme. Health Service Executive (HSE). Read 26 October 2026.
- Health check-up appointment (International Health Care Center). Severance Hospital, Seoul. Read 26 October 2026.
- Euro foreign exchange reference rates. European Central Bank, 23 October 2026. Read 26 October 2026.