Seoul has designated 19 hotels and accommodations as “medical-friendly” lodgings tailored for international patients and their families, part of an effort to capture a growing global market traveling to Korea for health care, the city government said Monday. According to the Korea Health Industry Development Institute, about 1.76 million foreign patients were treated at medical institutions in Seoul in 2025, a record high. That is 3.7 times the roughly 470,000 in 2023. Seoul accounted for 87.2 percent of the roughly 2.01 million foreign patients treated nationwide last year. The Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Seoul Tourism Organization chose the 19 facilities from 40 applicants in the program’s first year. The selection involved document reviews, on-site inspections and expert evaluations. Unlike regular tourists, foreign patients often need long stays that follow their treatment schedules, rooms for family members or caregivers, and places to recover after surgery or other procedures. Some have trouble getting around after treatment. The facilities were judged on how easy i