Samsung Medical Center
Transplantology in South Korea typically costs between AUD $174,985 and AUD $328,722. Final costs depend on the organ involved, the hospital tier, and whether use of a living relative donor is required. Australians can save roughly 30–50% compared to private healthcare costs in major western countries.
Typical Transplantology Costs in South Korea
Most specialist centres are found in Seoul and Gyeonggi-do. South Korea is a practical choice for Australians due to similar time zones and high success rates. Request a consultation with a specialist to get accurate pricing for your specific medical needs.
| Republic of Korea | Thailand | Turkey | |
| Lung transplant | from AUD $201,372 | from AUD $249,979 | from AUD $249,979 |
| Liver transplant | from AUD $113,557 | from AUD $111,102 | from AUD $62,495 |
| Kidney transplant | from AUD $72,216 | from AUD $48,607 | from AUD $31,247 |
| Heart transplant | from AUD $191,650 | from AUD $249,979 | from AUD $243,035 |
| Heart and lungs transplant | from AUD $229,147 | from AUD $1,041,578 | from AUD $347,193 |
No hidden fees – just official clinic prices. Pay at the clinic for Transplantology treatment upon arrival and use a flexible instalment plan if needed.
Bookimed is committed to your safety. We only work with medical institutions that maintain high international standards in Transplantology treatment and have the necessary licenses to serve international patients worldwide.
Bookimed offers free expert assistance. A personal medical coordinator supports you before, during, and after your treatment, solving any issues. You're never alone on your Transplantology treatment journey.
Professor Kim Ki-bong specializes in CABG, valve surgery, atrial fibrillation, and heart transplantation. He is Director of the Cardiac Surgery and Cardiovascular Centers at Myongji Hospital. He pioneered advanced coronary bypass in Korea. He has extensive OPCAB experience and works on the TECAB team using the da Vinci Xi.
In 2025, his team performed Korea’s first totally endoscopic CABG without cardiopulmonary bypass. In August 2026, they achieved the nation’s first multivessel TECAB.
He is former Chair of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery at Seoul National University College of Medicine. He is also former Chief of the same department at Seoul National University Hospital. He serves on the Editorial Board of The Annals of Thoracic Surgery. He is a member of AATS, STS, and EACTS. He is a past President of the Korean Societies of Coronary Artery Surgery, Surgical Treatment of Arrhythmias, and Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. His research includes 130+ international and 140+ Korean papers. He has given 80+ international and 80+ Korean lectures. He earned his MD, Master’s, and PhD at Seoul National University.
Professor Lee Seok-gu is a leading liver transplant surgeon at Myongji Hospital. He has performed about 2,000 liver transplants. He achieved Korea’s first transfusion-free liver transplant. He performed hepatocyte transplantation in a one-month-old infant. He led the first clinical use of a bioartificial liver for acute liver failure. He also performed living-donor transplants in Egypt and trained teams in Vietnam.
He is Professor of Surgery at Myongji Hospital and former Director of the Organ Transplantation Center at Samsung Medical Center. He earned his MD and MSc from Seoul National University and his PhD from the Catholic University of Korea. He completed a fellowship at Boston Children’s Hospital/Harvard and transplant training at Johns Hopkins. He served as president of three national societies in transplantation and pediatric surgery. His honors include the Chong Kun Dang Award, the Pfizer Clinical Medicine Award, and the Astellas Investigator Award. He has 447 publications and 13 book chapters.
South Korea reports world-leading transplant success rates, with liver transplant survival reaching 98% at specialist centres. Kidney transplant success consistently exceeds 90%. Heart and lung programs report similar outcomes. These results stem from high procedure volumes and JCI-accredited surgical protocols in Seoul.
Bookimed Expert Insight: High-volume centres like Asan Medical Center perform nearly half of the country's heart transplants. This concentration of cases creates a cycle where surgeons encounter rare complications more frequently. This experience directly translates into better survival rates for complex multi-organ procedures.
Patient Consensus: Patients consider South Korea a global leader in transplantation due to the high survival rates. Many note that reputable clinics provide better post-operative care and graft survival than other medical hubs.
Getting a transplant as a foreigner in South Korea is not easier than in other countries. Non-citizens face strict legal frameworks and long national waitlists for deceased-donor organs. International patients usually need to bring their own compatible living family member as a donor. Then they can undergo legal transplant surgery at JCI-accredited Seoul hospitals.
Bookimed Expert Insight: While waitlists are restrictive, South Korean centres excel at complex living-donor cases that other countries might decline. Centres like Asan Medical Center perform the highest number of transplants in Korea. They often use laparoscopic techniques for donors. This approach significantly reduces the donor's recovery time. It also reduces scarring compared to traditional open surgery.
Patient Consensus: Patients note that finding a living donor in their home country is the only viable path for foreigners. They also emphasise that South Korea has very low domestic blood donation rates. This makes securing rare blood types for surgery extremely difficult.
South Korea hosts world-leading transplantation centres renowned for living donor liver and kidney surgeries. Facilities like Asan Medical Center report a 98% liver transplant success rate. These institutions hold JCI and KOIHA accreditations, so their safety standards are comparable to those of major Australian private hospitals.
Bookimed Expert Insight: While many focus on hospital prestige, the critical differentiator in Korea is pioneering surgical firsts. Seoul National University Bundang Hospital performed the world's first laparoscopic liver resection on a child. Such specialised milestones often indicate higher technical proficiency than general volume stats alone.
Patient Consensus: Patients note the efficiency of Seoul's university hospitals but suggest confirming organ availability early. Many highlight the value of 24/7 interpreter services and personal coordinators for navigating complex surgical schedules in the Republic of Korea.
South Korean transplant centres do not enforce strict age limits for recipients. Candidacy depends on physical fitness, medical condition, and life expectancy. Clinics like Asan Medical Center evaluate patients individually. They focus on whether the benefits of surgery outweigh the risks for each specific person.
Bookimed Expert Insight: Success rates often hold more weight than age in Seoul. Asan Medical Center maintains a 98% liver transplant success rate despite treating complex cases. Clinics there frequently use laparoscopic and robotic systems. These technologies reduce surgical trauma, which helps older patients recover faster compared to open surgery.
Patient Consensus: Patients find that South Korean hospitals prioritise family donor compatibility and fitness over age. They note that having a willing relative as a donor significantly speeds up the process.
South Korea focuses on living donor liver transplants due to limited deceased donor availability. The process involves a three-stage health evaluation. It also requires ethical committee approval and surgical extraction of a liver segment. Regeneration allows the donor and recipient livers to return to normal function within months.
Bookimed Expert Insight: South Korean clinics excel in volume-driven expertise, which improves donor safety. Centres like Seoul National University Bundang Hospital performed the world's first laparoscopic liver resection in a child. This level of technical skill often allows for smaller incisions. It also means faster donor recovery at major Seoul hospitals.
Patient Consensus: Patients note that liver donation requires strict legal certification. This proves family ties in South Korea. The surgery is intensive. However, the liver's ability to regenerate provides long-term reassurance for healthy donors.
Foreign patients seeking transplants in South Korea primarily navigate living donor procedures. This is because of strict legal frameworks. Hospitals like Asan Medical Center and Korea University Anam Hospital manage cases. Process requirements include proof of familial relationship, KONOS approval, and medical record reviews. These are required before surgical clearance.
Bookimed Expert Insight: Many consider South Korea solely for surgery. However, top centres like Korea University Anam Hospital offer same-day consultations for new cases. This efficiency is critical. It allows specialists to review HLA-typing and DNA results immediately. This speed significantly reduces the time international families must spend in Seoul. It allows surgery to begin sooner.
Patient Consensus: Patients note it is vital to keep medications in original bottles and carry a letter with drug names translated into Korean for easy travel. Families emphasise that verifying the specific surgeon on the hospital website helps. It distinguishes high-volume medical centres from marketing-led clinics.