How to Verify a Korean Plastic Surgeon Before You Book

The KSPRS Registry: How to Search It in 3 Steps

대한성형외과학회 (Daehan Seonghyeong Oegwa Haghoe), known in English as the Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons (KSPRS), is South Korea’s official professional and certification board for plastic and reconstructive surgeons.¹ The society maintains a public registry allowing any patient to verify a surgeon’s board certification by name — no account, no fee, no intermediary required.²

As of 2024, approximately 2,100 board-certified plastic surgeons are registered with KSPRS.³ If a surgeon does not appear in this registry, they have not completed the KSPRS certification pathway, regardless of how their clinic markets their qualifications.

Step 1 — Go to the official KSPRS website. Navigate to plasticsurgery.or.kr. The site defaults to Korean; use your browser’s built-in translation function if needed, but locate the member search section (회원 조회, hoewon johoe) without relying on translation for the search function itself, as name matching works best in the original interface.

Step 2 — Enter the surgeon’s name. Type the surgeon’s name in Korean characters if you have them. If you only have a romanized name (e.g., “Kim Jinsoo”), enter that — the registry supports partial romanized searches, though Korean-character input produces more reliable results. Your clinic coordinator can provide the Korean-character name on request; this is a normal and reasonable ask.

Step 3 — Interpret the result. A successful result returns the surgeon’s certification number, current board status (active or lapsed), and their registered primary clinic. Screenshot and save this result before your consultation. If the registry returns no result for the exact name provided by your clinic, treat this as a significant discrepancy and request clarification in writing before proceeding.

The KSPRS also maintains a public registry allowing patients to verify board certification directly on the KSPRS website — no third-party verification service is needed.²

What Korean Board Certification Actually Requires

KSPRS board certification represents a defined, multi-stage training pathway rather than a single examination.⁴ Understanding what it covers — and what it does not — helps you interpret what a certification confirms.

The pathway requires completion of six years of medical school, followed by a four-year plastic surgery residency at an accredited institution, and successful passage of KSPRS board examinations.⁴ The residency encompasses reconstructive procedures (trauma repair, burn care, microsurgery) as well as aesthetic procedures (rhinoplasty, blepharoplasty, facial contouring). Board examinations assess both written knowledge and practical competence.

Three things board certification confirms:

• The surgeon completed a four-year accredited plastic surgery residency
• The surgeon passed standardized written and practical examinations
• The surgeon met the continuing education requirements to maintain active status

Two things board certification does not confirm:

• How many times the surgeon has performed your specific procedure
• Whether the surgeon’s current case mix includes the procedure you are considering

This distinction matters practically. A surgeon board-certified in 2002 who now primarily performs reconstructive trauma cases is credentialed — but their aesthetic rhinoplasty volume may be low. Board certification is the minimum threshold; procedure-specific case volume is a separate and equally necessary data point to request.

KSPRS board certification is required to legally perform plastic surgery procedures in licensed medical facilities in Korea.⁶ Operating as a plastic surgeon without this certification constitutes an illegal medical act under Korean law.⁶ This legal floor does not, however, prevent doctors from other specialties from offering cosmetic procedures under their own licenses — a distinction addressed in the FAQ section below.

Red Flags in How Surgeons Present Their Credentials

Credential presentation varies significantly between clinics. Some red flags are straightforward misrepresentations; others are omissions that create a misleading impression without containing an outright false statement.

Checklist: Red flags to watch for

• The surgeon’s profile lists titles such as “specialist,” “expert,” or “chief surgeon” but does not include a KSPRS certification number
• The clinic’s website lists the surgeon’s name prominently in marketing materials but omits any reference to board certification status
• When asked directly for a certification number, the clinic responds with photos of awards, media appearances, or a list of procedures performed rather than a registry number
• The surgeon’s bio references overseas training (e.g., a fellowship in the United States or Europe) as the primary credential, with Korean board certification unmentioned or buried
• The clinic states the surgeon is “certified” without specifying the certifying body — KSPRS certification is the relevant credential for plastic surgery; other certificates are supplementary
• The certification number provided cannot be verified in the KSPRS public registry under the surgeon’s name
• The clinic lists a different surgeon for consultation and a different surgeon for the operating room without disclosing this arrangement in advance

None of these red flags automatically disqualifies a surgeon. Each is a prompt to ask a clarifying question and document the answer. A surgeon who responds to credential questions with transparency — providing a registry number, naming the residency program, confirming the operating facility — is demonstrating the kind of accountability that is reasonable to expect before elective surgery.

Questions to Ask at the Consultation About Credentials

Bring this checklist to your consultation. Ask each question verbally, and request written confirmation for any answer that will influence your booking decision. A well-run clinic will answer these questions without hesitation.

Checklist: Credential questions for the consultation

• “What is your KSPRS certification number, and may I have it in writing?”
• “Where did you complete your plastic surgery residency, and in which year did you receive KSPRS board certification?”
• “How many [specific procedure] cases have you performed in the past 12 months?” (Ask for a number, not a range or a qualitative description)
• “Will you personally perform the entire procedure, or are portions delegated to residents or other surgeons?”
• “Which facility will the procedure be performed in, and is that the same facility listed as your primary clinic on the KSPRS registry?”
• “Is your board certification currently active? Has it ever lapsed or been suspended?”
• “Do you hold any KSPRS sub-specialty fellowship credentials relevant to this procedure?” (Sub-specialties include craniofacial surgery, hand surgery, and microsurgery⁵)
• “If a complication arises requiring hospital admission, which hospital has granted you admitting privileges, and what is the process for transfer?”

Document the answers. If a clinic declines to answer any of these questions or redirects to marketing materials, treat the non-answer as informative. Reputable clinics operating within the KSPRS framework are unambiguously permitted to provide certification numbers and facility details — there is no legitimate reason to withhold them.

Checking Clinic Affiliation and Visiting Rights

The KSPRS registry lists each certified surgeon’s primary registered clinic. Cross-referencing this listing against the clinic you are booking takes under five minutes and resolves one of the most common sources of confusion for international patients — the assumption that a surgeon’s name on a clinic’s website means that surgeon is based at, and operates from, that clinic.

Three scenarios to check for:

Scenario 1 — The surgeon matches the listed clinic. The KSPRS registry shows the same clinic name you are booking. This is the expected baseline. Proceed to verifying facility accreditation separately.

Scenario 2 — The surgeon’s registered clinic differs from your booking clinic. This may reflect a legitimate recent move, a multi-clinic arrangement, or an outdated registry entry. Ask the clinic to confirm in writing which facility your procedure will be performed in, and ask the surgeon to clarify their current primary affiliation. Do not interpret a mismatch as automatically disqualifying, but do resolve it explicitly before signing a consent or paying a deposit.

Scenario 3 — The surgeon is not findable in the registry at all. This is distinct from a clinic mismatch. Absence from the KSPRS registry means the surgeon has not completed or maintained KSPRS board certification.³ KSPRS board certification is required to legally perform plastic surgery procedures in licensed Korean medical facilities.⁶

On facility accreditation: KOIHA (국제의료기관인증원, Gukje Uiryo Gigwan Injeungwon), the Korean government-designated body for international patient safety accreditation, publicly lists all accredited facilities.⁷ As of 2024, approximately 350 facilities in Korea hold KOIHA accreditation.⁸ A surgeon verified through the KSPRS registry, operating at a KOIHA-accredited facility, represents a combination of individual and institutional credential checks — both layers are independently verifiable and both matter.