How do I verify that a doctor in Korea is a board-certified plastic surgeon?

Look the surgeon up by name in the 'name search' of the plastic surgeons' association (대한성형외과의사회) and the 'find a specialist' search of the Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons, and check the number of board-certified specialists by specialty at that clinic in the hospital finder of HIRA (Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service). A 'board-certified plastic surgeon' and a 'doctor who practises plastic surgery' are different things, and a listed practice area alone does not confirm the qualification.

What each of the four tells you

The four rows tell you different things. The Association and the Society show 'is this person a specialist'; HIRA shows 'how many specialists does this clinic have'; the signboard shows 'is the founder a specialist'. Looking at only one gives half a judgement, so read the name lookups together with the HIRA numbers.

What a lookup cannot tell you

A lookup confirms qualification and registration, no more. How much experience the doctor has with this operation, and who operates on the day, appear in no lookup and have to be asked at consultation. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons says to look at four things together — the surgeon's credentials and experience, the facility, the anesthesia provider and the emergency system — and a lookup fills only part of that.

Method 1. Read the signboard and official name

According to the Association's guide to telling specialists apart, a clinic founded by a board-certified plastic surgeon has a signboard reading '○○성형외과의원' (○○ Plastic Surgery Clinic), in the same type size on one line. Conversely, if the words '진료과목' (practice area) appear, or '성형외과' (plastic surgery) is written separately in smaller type, the clinic may not have been founded by a plastic surgery specialist. The Association treats such signboard violations as breaches of the Medical Service Act to be reported to the local public health centre. A signboard, however, is institution-level information and does not tell you the qualification of each individual doctor.

• Founded by a specialist: ○○성형외과의원
• May not be: ○○의원 진료과목 성형외과 · ○○클리닉 진료과목 성형외과 · ○○성형(전문)센터 · '성형외과' only in small type

Method 2. Search by name at the Association

On the Association website (prskorea.co.kr), the 'find a plastic surgery specialist' page offers search by name, by address and by map. Enter the name exactly as it appears in the clinic's staff introduction and you get the specialist's name, clinic name, phone number and address. The Association states that this search works for full members, so a qualified specialist who is not a full member may not appear.

• Association home → find a plastic surgery specialist → name search → enter the doctor's name
• You get: specialist's name · clinic name · phone · address

Method 3. Cross-check with the Society's 'find a specialist'

Look up the same name again in 'find a specialist' under 'About' on the Society website (plasticsurgery.or.kr). It lists plastic surgery specialists active as Society members, and the page states that as of March 2026 there are 2,881 plastic surgeons certified by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. This too is a member-based list, so do not conclude someone is not a specialist from one miss — check both.

• Society home → About → find a specialist → enter the specialist's or clinic's name
• You get: specialist's name · clinic name · phone number · address

Method 4. Check the clinic's specialist count at HIRA

In the HIRA 'hospital and pharmacy finder', search the clinic name, open the detail screen and its basic information, and you get 'number of doctors' and 'specialists by specialty'. It shows a count per specialty such as Plastic surgery (1), and a practice area the clinic has registered but has no specialist in shows as (0). HIRA notes that these values are as reported by the institution and that the count of practising doctors is updated daily according to staffing. Compare these numbers with the staff introduction on the clinic's website.

• HIRA hospital and pharmacy finder → search clinic name → detail → clinic information → basic information
• You get: number of doctors · specialists by specialty · specialists by practice area · facilities such as number of operating rooms

Method 5. Look inside the clinic

According to the Association's guide, there are four things to look for inside the clinic: the plastic surgery specialist certificate issued in the name of the Minister of Health and Welfare (with '성형외과' in the specialty field), the plastic surgery specialist plaque, the clinic sticker certified by the Association and the Society, and the specialist ID card that full-member specialists of the Association and Society have worn since November 2014. To these was added a new specialist badge unveiled at the Association's spring academic meeting on 10 May 2026 — shield-shaped with a smile motif, carrying the English words 'Plastic Surgeon' for foreign patients, worn on the coat (reported by JoongAng Ilbo, 11 May 2026). A certification sticker may be displayed even if only one of several directors is a specialist, so the Association advises asking the doctor treating you directly whether they are a board-certified plastic surgeon.

• Specialist certificate (specialty: plastic surgery) · specialist plaque · certification sticker · specialist ID card (since Nov 2014) · new specialist badge (since May 2026)

How to filter by the website profile

The Association advises checking whether the profile in a clinic's staff introduction states the specialty — '성형외과 전문의' (plastic surgery specialist). If it says only '전문의' (specialist) without a specialty, the doctor may be a specialist in another field; a plastic surgeon's profile reads along the lines of 'completed plastic surgery residency at ○○ University Hospital / obtained plastic surgery board certification'. The Association states that titles that do not exist among Korean specialties, such as 'aesthetic surgery specialist' (미용외과 전문의), or similarly named look-alike organisations, do not indicate a board-certified plastic surgeon.

Where to report impersonation or signboard violations

The Association directs reports of impersonation of plastic surgery specialists and illegal signboards to e-People (epeople.go.kr), and its page sets out the procedure from access and login through filing, form completion, choosing the handling agency and receiving a reference number. Processing usually takes around 7 working days. Signboard violations can also be reported to the local public health centre.

Why check them separately?

• A medical licence and board certification are different — Any licensed doctor can perform cosmetic procedures regardless of practice area. That is why 'practises plastic surgery' and 'board-certified plastic surgeon' have to be checked separately.
• The search lists are member-based — The Association and Society searches show members. If someone does not appear in one, cross-check with the other and with the HIRA specialist count.
• The consulting doctor and the operating surgeon may differ — Even with the qualification confirmed, whether the doctor who consulted with you operates on the day is a separate matter. Match the surgeon named on the consent form against the name you heard at consultation.

What to confirm at consultation

• Get the name of the doctor who will operate and look it up at both the Association and the Society
• Whether the HIRA specialist count by specialty matches the number in the clinic's staff introduction
• Whether the doctor who consulted with you also operates on the day — whether the surgeon named on the consent form matches
• Whether a separate person is responsible for anesthesia (whether anesthesiology appears in the HIRA specialty table)

Asking about your own case

A lookup confirms qualification, no more. Asking like this at consultation gets you an answer about the operating surgeon specifically.

May I have the name of the doctor who will operate? Will the doctor who consulted with me also operate on the day?

Common misunderstandings

If the signboard says 'plastic surgery', is the doctor a specialist?

It depends on how it is written. According to the Association, if it is part of the name — '○○성형외과의원' — the clinic was founded by a specialist; if it is attached as a practice area — '○○의원 진료과목 성형외과' — it may not have been. A signboard is institution-level information, so an individual doctor's qualification has to be looked up by name at the Association or the Society.

If a doctor doesn't appear in the Association or Society search, are they not a specialist?

That cannot be concluded, because both searches are member-based. Look up the other one, and cross-check with the specialist count by specialty in the HIRA hospital finder and the certificate and plaque inside the clinic.

What does 'Plastic surgery (0)' at HIRA mean?

It means plastic surgery is among the practice areas the clinic has registered, but there is no specialist in that field. HIRA states these values are as reported by the institution and updated daily according to staffing, so confirm directly with the doctor treating you.

Is a specialist badge or certification sticker enough to be reassured?

The Association states that a sticker is clinic-level and may be displayed even if only one of several directors is a specialist. The ID card and the new badge unveiled in May 2026 are worn by the individual doctor, so look at whether the doctor treating you is wearing one, together with the name lookup result.

Does a lookup tell me how skilled the doctor is?

No. A lookup confirms qualification and institutional registration, no more. How much experience with this operation the doctor has, and who operates on the day, do not appear and have to be asked at consultation.

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