Black American women are travelling to South Korea for more thorough medical care

Black American women who say they have been overlooked in US healthcare are increasingly travelling to South Korea for medical appointments and diagnostic testing, according to reporting from The Guardian. The trips are part of a wider pattern of people seeking treatment abroad, but this group is drawn by what they describe as more inclusive care.

South Korea is best known internationally for cosmetic procedures, yet visitors are also finding preventive medicine and extensive screening that can be easier to arrange and cheaper than in the United States. William Ban, co-founder and chief operating officer of the preventive health platform Himedi, said clients often want a clearer picture of what is happening in their bodies.

Ban said patients can get same-day imaging, broad lab work and specialist review in Korea, services he said would take much longer and cost far more in the US, if they were available at all. The Guardian said the trend is gaining momentum among Black American women booking trips to Seoul.

The BBC’s Tech Life programme also recently discussed concerns that social media shadow banning can limit access to health advice for women, reflecting wider debate over how people find medical information online. The separate reporting comes as questions continue over access, trust and visibility in digital and healthcare spaces.