General
Foreign-Customer Pharmacy Spending Rose Nearly 17-Fold. Why Is Your Pharmacy Still Quiet?
Reported spending by international customers at Korean pharmacies rose from KRW 7.6266 billion in 2021 to KRW 125.56 billion in 2025, about 16.5 times the earlier amount. The figure for the first half of 2026 was KRW 142.086 billion, already above the previous full year. That growth does not arrive evenly at every pharmacy. Start by checking whether customers can find your pharmacy through the channels they use.
At BlinkAd, we help businesses become easier to find through Google and AI search. Here, we will look at the pharmacy spending figures cited in our original August 2026 article, then explain what a pharmacy owner can check before spending on advertising.
What the pharmacy spending figures show
The original article cited the following figures, attributed in contemporary reporting to the Korea Tourism Organization's Korea Tourism Data Lab:
- 2021: KRW 7.6266 billion
- 2025: KRW 125.56 billion, approximately 16.5 times the 2021 figure
- January–June 2026: KRW 142.086 billion, exceeding the previous full year
It also reported that pharmacies' share of recorded foreign-customer medical spending transactions rose from 56.37% in July 2025 to 68.96% in June 2026. Pharmacy transactions increased from roughly 175,000 to 413,000 over those two monthly observations. These are transaction counts within the reported dataset: nearly seven in ten transactions, rather than seven in ten tourists or evidence of where they went first.
For us, this is a reason to take pharmacies seriously as possible destinations on a visitor's itinerary. The figures alone do not establish every customer's reason for visiting, or explain why one particular pharmacy is quiet.
Why might your pharmacy be missing out?
A visitor may continue using Google and Google Maps after arriving in Korea. That makes searches such as these relevant to a pharmacy's discovery:
- English: pharmacy near me, 18,100 monthly searches in the Korea location setting
- Japanese: 韓国 薬局 (“Korea pharmacy”) and 明洞 薬局 (“Myeongdong pharmacy”), 880 each
- Traditional Chinese: 韓國 藥局 (“Korea pharmacy”) and 明洞 藥局 (“Myeongdong pharmacy”), 590 each
- English: cold medicine korea, 590; korean pharmacy, 320
These are the Google Ads keyword estimates reported in the August 8, 2026 lookup, using Korea as the location setting. They are approximate historical search counts, not a count of foreign tourists or confirmed visits. The original export and exact averaging window were not available for this English edition; we have not rerun the lookup.
In our visits to commercial areas with international foot traffic, we have often seen visitors using pharmacies. That is an informal observation from our work, rather than a survey of the market.
Some customers decide where to go while they are still at their hotel. Others walk past, follow a recommendation or use a different platform. If your pharmacy is missing from the results a customer uses, it may never make that customer's shortlist.
The language question is already being searched
The original article also reported these Naver keyword figures:
약국영어(“pharmacy English”): 1,090 monthly searches약사영어(“English for pharmacists”): 310약국일본어(“pharmacy Japanese”): 110;약국중국어(“pharmacy Chinese”): 90
Those searches suggest interest in communicating with international customers. They do not tell us the searchers' occupations or how many individual pharmacists searched. In-store communication matters, and so does the earlier step: giving a customer a chance to find and assess the pharmacy before entering.
Three things you can check now
1. Check whether your pharmacy appears on Google. Search its name and an English phrase combining “pharmacy” with your area. Check from relevant locations where possible, because map results vary with the searcher's location. A missing result is a gap to investigate, not proof that the pharmacy is invisible everywhere.
2. Review your Google Business Profile. Confirm the opening hours, map position, telephone number and photographs. A customer deciding whether to visit needs accurate, current information.
3. Look at the reviews available to international customers. Reviews can help someone assess an unfamiliar business. Invite genuine feedback without incentives or pressure, and respond without disclosing private health information. A review is not evidence that a medicine is suitable for another customer.
You can carry out these checks without paying for ads. The time and cost of fixing any problems will depend on what you find.
Frequently asked questions
Does this matter outside a tourist district?
It can. International residents and business visitors may also need a pharmacy. “Pharmacy near me” was the largest of the selected terms in the original snapshot; that does not make it the most common search in every area. Check local demand and your own profile before assuming the opportunity is the same everywhere.
Can we serve international customers if we do not speak English fluently?
You can start improving the pharmacy's online information while preparing language support. Google may translate some profile content, but do not assume every field or translation is complete or accurate. Translation apps and product information can support a conversation; they do not replace clear communication with a pharmacist about appropriate use and precautions.
Do we need an advertising budget?
Creating and maintaining a Google Business Profile and managing reviews do not require buying Google ads. You can assess advertising after addressing those basics, according to the pharmacy's objectives and circumstances.
Start by checking whether customers can find you
The historical figures describe a substantial rise in recorded foreign-customer pharmacy spending: approximately 16.5 times the 2021 level by 2025, followed by further growth in the first half of 2026. They do not guarantee demand for an individual pharmacy. Our recommendation is to begin with a practical question: when a potential customer searches in your area, is the information about your pharmacy available and useful? Our companion article explains the steps for improving that information.
If you would like help checking your pharmacy's profile, contact BlinkAd.
Sources and dates: The Korean article attributed the spending and transaction figures to Korea Tourism Data Lab, citing a July 28, 2026 Yaksa Gongron report. July 31 reporting by Asia Business Daily (Korean) also gives the three spending totals above. The official Data Lab portal (Korean) was checked for this English edition on October 31, 2026, but the original filtered data export was not recovered. The figures are retained as an attributed historical snapshot, not a fresh audit of nationwide pharmacy revenue or all payment methods. The Google Ads and Naver figures are the original August 8, 2026 keyword snapshot, not new measurements. Naver figures were reported as searches over the preceding 30 days, combining PC and mobile.
BlinkAd is a Google and AI marketing agency helping businesses reach international customers through search, visits and inquiries.