The fiscal balance of Korea's national health insurance for foreigners posted a surplus exceeding 1 trillion won ($753 million) for the first time last year, but the account for Chinese nationals swung to a deficit, data showed Sunday. The fiscal balance for foreign nationals came to 1,012.8 trillion won in the black last year, up from 943.9 billion won the previous year, according to data submitted by the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) to Rep. Jeon Jin-sook of the ruling party. Insurance premium paid by foreign nationals totaled 2.54 trillion won, while medical expenses covered by the NHIS stood at 1.52 trillion won. It marked the first time that the health insurance fiscal balance for foreigners posted a surplus topping 1 trillion won. It also represented the consecutive surplus streak since 2017. But the fiscal balance for Chinese nationals logged a deficit of 40.9 billion won last year, turning from a surplus of 5.5 billion won in the previous year. In 2025, insurance premiums collected from Chinese people totaled 956.4 billion won, while payouts shouldered by the NHIS for m