Getting a second opinion from a Korean hospital
What records to send ahead, how the deposit and review process usually works, and a realistic stay length if the second opinion leads to further tests.
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On this page (7 sections)
Asking for a second opinion is ordinary medicine, not disloyalty. The US National Cancer Institute describes it as very common and says most doctors welcome it. What changes when the second hospital is in another country is the paperwork: the opinion is only as good as the records that reach the specialist, and the visit only stays short if the hospital has seen them before you land.
#From first contact to the consultation
- ContactWrite to the hospital's international centre through its official website. One paragraph on the diagnosis, what has been done so far, and the question you want answered.
- RecordsSend reports by the method the centre specifies — usually email or an upload link — and ask how to deliver imaging files and pathology slides. Allow one to two weeks if slides have to be released by your laboratory.
- ReviewThe department reads the file and replies through the coordinator: whether a visit is likely to add anything, which specialist, which tests they may want, and an estimate. Some hospitals charge for this step.
- DepositA deposit secures the appointment and is applied to the bill. You receive an appointment confirmation; if your nationality needs a visa, this is the document the application is built on.
- Arrival: days 1–2Registration at the international centre, hand over discs and slides, first consultation with the specialist.
- Days 2–5Any additional imaging, blood work or a re-read of your pathology slides by the hospital's own pathologists.
- Days 5–7Results consultation: the specialist's opinion, options, and a written summary in English. Collect copies of anything new before you fly.
#What to send before you travel
Large Korean hospitals with international centres review a case remotely before you fly, and this step is the one that decides whether the trip is worth making: it is how they tell you whether a second-opinion visit is likely to add anything, and roughly which further tests they would want once you are there. What they typically ask for:
- Pathology report and, where possible, the actual pathology slides or blocks (not just the report)
- All relevant imaging (CT/MRI/PET) as actual image files (DICOM), not just the written radiology report
- A summary of treatment so far: surgeries, chemotherapy or radiation regimens and dates
- Current medication list and other relevant medical history
One Korean public cancer centre's published referral procedure adds two conditions worth planning around: all records must be in English, and they must arrive before an appointment or an estimate is made.
Formats that cause the fewest problems
| Record | Send it as | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Imaging (CT, MRI, PET) | DICOM files on CD/DVD or USB, or the hospital's upload link; include the written reports as PDF | Phone photos of films, screenshots, JPEG exports |
| Pathology | Report as PDF; glass slides or paraffin blocks by courier or carried by hand in a slide box | Assuming the report alone is enough — many hospitals re-read the slides themselves |
| Letters, summaries, blood results | PDF, typed, in English or with an English translation attached | Handwritten notes, photos taken at an angle |
| Genetic or molecular test results | The full laboratory report as PDF | A one-line mention in a clinic letter |
- Label every disc with your name, date of birth and the scan date. Hospitals receive many discs
- Ask your laboratory in writing whether it will release slides or blocks and whether it wants them back. Borrowed slides usually have to be returned
- Translate what the specialist will read (pathology report, discharge summary, operation note) and ask the coordinator whether a certified translation is required before paying for one
- Keep a copy of everything you send. Discs get separated from files
Verify before you rely on this: Requirements for remote case review and any review fee differ by hospital and can change. Ask the specific hospital's international centre directly what format they need records in and whether a deposit is required before they will do the remote review, not only before treatment. Entry rules depend on nationality: Medical Korea lists visa-free entry for many countries and a short-term medical visa (C-3-3) for others, so check HiKorea or a Korean embassy before booking.
Practical note: The second opinion itself is usually issued as a 소견서. Korean document desks work from Korean names, so it helps to use them. Seoul National University Hospital's request page lists, among others, 의무기록사본 (copy of the medical record), 영상CD (imaging on disc), 진단서 (formal diagnosis certificate), 소견서 (doctor's opinion letter) and 수술기록지 (operation record). A patient aged 10 or over asks in person with photo ID such as a passport. Other hospitals' forms may word them slightly differently; the fee per copy is set by each hospital.
#How many nights to plan, and what moves the number
Five to ten nights covers most second-opinion visits, and seven is the planning default on this page. It is built from the sequence above: two days for registration and the first consultation, two or three for any repeated imaging, blood work and a re-read of the pathology slides by the hospital's own pathologists, and the results consultation on day five to seven, after which copies of anything new are collected from the documents desk. The short end applies when the remote review was thorough and the specialist needs no new tests; in that case the first consultation and the written opinion can fall within the same few days.
Three things push the number towards ten. A biopsy adds the procedure day and the days pathology takes. A multidisciplinary meeting sits on a fixed weekday, so a consultation on a Thursday may wait until the following week for the meeting's view. And the two long Korean holidays, Lunar New Year and Chuseok, close outpatient clinics for several days and shift every appointment after them. Results and the discussion of them do not always happen on the same day, which is why the results consultation, not the first one, is the appointment that sets the flight. Book a changeable return fare.
#Deposits and cost structure
International centres commonly ask for a deposit before booking a specialist appointment, applied toward the eventual bill. Because a second opinion can expand into further testing depending on what the specialist finds, ask for a cost estimate that separates the base consultation fee from what additional tests would add, so that an expanding scope is a decision you make rather than a surprise on the bill.
| Usually in the base estimate | Usually priced separately |
|---|---|
| Remote record review, if the hospital charges for it | New CT, MRI or PET-CT |
| Specialist consultation and the results consultation | Pathology slide re-read and any extra staining or molecular tests |
| Coordinator and in-hospital interpreting | Biopsy or endoscopy, with sedation and the day-ward fee |
| Registration | A written opinion letter or certified document copies, translation, courier return of slides |
#Nine things to settle by email before paying the deposit
- Will the specialist read my records before I travel, and will I be told if a visit is unlikely to change anything?
- Is there a fee for the remote review, and does it count towards the consultation?
- How should I send imaging files and slides, and will the slides be returned to me?
- Do my records need certified translation, or is a plain English translation accepted?
- Which tests are likely to be repeated, and how many days do results take?
- Will my case be discussed at a multidisciplinary meeting, and on which day of the week does it sit?
- Will I receive the opinion in writing, in English, and is there a charge for that letter?
- Is a written opinion from records alone, without travelling, something the hospital offers?
- How much is the deposit, how do I pay it, and how is an unused balance refunded?
#When a trip for a second opinion is a poor idea
- When your doctors say treatment is urgent. The American Cancer Society notes that there is usually time to think before starting treatment, but that some cancers need prompt decisions. Ask your oncologist how long you can safely take, and tell the Korean hospital that date
- When you are not well enough for the flight. A specialist cannot fix that from the other end, and a records-only opinion may serve you better
- When key records cannot be obtained. Without slides or image files the hospital will repeat the tests, and the visit becomes a full work-up at full cost
- When you could not act on the answer. If treatment in Korea is out of reach and your home team will not adopt an outside plan, be clear with yourself about what the opinion is for
Practical note: Carry a printed set of the documents the specialist reads first: the pathology report, the most recent radiology reports and the discharge summary, in English. A DICOM disc from another country's system does not always open at the first attempt, and the coordinator may take it away to be loaded while the consultation starts. A printed pathology report keeps the first ten minutes useful, and the specialist can annotate it for the written opinion.
Leave with the opinion in writing, in English, or the trip has produced only your recollection of a conversation. The document to ask for is the 소견서 described above, and it should name the diagnosis as the Korean team reads it, the options considered, and the recommended next step. If the Korean view differs from the first one, that letter is what your oncologist at home will read; ask for it before the results consultation ends, and ask the documents desk what it charges.
#Common questions
Can I get a second opinion from a Korean hospital without travelling?
Sometimes. Some hospitals will give a written or video opinion from records alone; others treat the remote review only as a screening step before an in-person visit. A records-only opinion is limited to what your existing tests show, and the specialist cannot examine you. Ask the international centre which of the two it offers and what each costs.
Why does the Korean hospital want my pathology slides, not only the report?
Because many hospitals re-read the slides with their own pathologists before giving an opinion, and the report alone does not allow that. Ask your laboratory in writing whether it will release glass slides or paraffin blocks, whether they must be returned, and how long release takes; one to two weeks is common. Send them by tracked courier or carry them in a slide box, and agree the return route with the coordinator before you travel.
Do my medical records have to be in English?
In practice, yes. At least one major Korean cancer centre states that all records must be in English, and coordinators elsewhere say the same. Prioritise the pathology report, discharge summary, operation note and radiology reports. Image files themselves need no translation.
Will my doctor at home be offended?
The US National Cancer Institute's guidance is that most doctors welcome a second opinion, and it suggests involving your first doctor in arranging it, since their office holds the records you need. Telling them also makes the handover easier if the two opinions differ.
What if the Korean opinion is different from the first one?
The American Cancer Society's advice is to take the second opinion back to your first doctor, ask both to explain how they read the tests and which guidelines they relied on, and ask whether the two can review the case together. A third specialist is sometimes the practical tie-breaker. This is the reason to insist on a written summary in English before you leave.
Does a second opinion commit me to treatment at that hospital?
No. You pay for the consultation and any tests, take the opinion and the new results with you, and decide afterwards. Any unused part of the deposit should be refunded; confirm how, and in which currency, before you pay it.
Work out the whole trip: open the total cost calculator with 7 nights filled in. That is a planning default, not a schedule — replace it with the dates your own clinic gives you.
Sources
- Medical Korea — foreign patient information portal
- National Cancer Center (Korea)
- National Cancer Center (Korea) — referral procedure for international patients
- American Cancer Society — seeking a second opinion
- US National Cancer Institute — finding cancer care
- Medical Korea — medical visa and visa exemption
- Seoul National University Hospital — requesting record copies and imaging discs (Korean)
Planning the trip? Tick off the trip checklist — what to get in writing, what to pack and which documents to collect before you fly home — and keep the Korean phrase cards on your phone for taxis and pharmacies.
This site is an information resource, not a medical provider, agency or broker. We do not arrange treatment, refer patients to specific hospitals, or receive commission from clinics for introductions. Nothing here is medical advice — decisions about treatment belong to you and a licensed doctor.