Spine MRI costs in Korea
Cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine MRI prices, why contrast changes the figure, and how spinal imaging compares to joint scans.
5 min read
Spinal MRI is one of the most common scans ordered in Korea, and one of the few where a foreign patient can check the price before walking in. National insurance does not cover MRI for most indications, so every hospital has to publish what it charges.
By section of the spine
| Procedure | Median | Range | Hospitals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lumbar spine MRI | ₩450,000 $320 | ₩120,000 – ₩1,037,370 | 1016 |
| Cervical spine MRI | ₩450,000 $320 | ₩120,000 – ₩1,094,330 | 1015 |
| Thoracic spine MRI | ₩450,000 $320 | ₩120,000 – ₩965,000 | 950 |
Lumbar is the lower back and by far the most scanned — sciatica, disc problems, and most of what people mean by “back pain”.
Cervical is the neck: nerve pain running into the arms, numbness, and injuries.
Thoracic is the mid-back, scanned least often because it moves least and goes wrong least.
What contrast adds
Some scans are done twice, before and after injecting a contrast agent, which makes certain tissues stand out. It is used when looking for inflammation, infection, tumours, or scar tissue after previous surgery.
| Procedure | Median | Range | Hospitals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upper limb MRI with contrast | ₩500,000 $360 | ₩250,000 – ₩1,187,000 | 616 |
| Lower limb MRI with contrast | ₩497,000 $360 | ₩250,000 – ₩1,187,000 | 665 |
| Upper limb MRI (non-joint) | ₩450,000 $320 | ₩120,000 – ₩960,000 | 919 |
| Lower limb MRI (non-joint) | ₩450,000 $320 | ₩120,000 – ₩960,000 | 949 |
The gap between the plain and contrast versions is the clearest illustration of what the extra sequence costs. Contrast is a clinical decision, not an upgrade to choose.
Joint scans, for comparison
If your problem turns out to be a joint rather than the spine, those are priced separately again:
| Procedure | Median | Range | Hospitals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knee MRI | ₩450,000 $320 | ₩120,000 – ₩960,000 | 1021 |
| Shoulder MRI | ₩450,000 $320 | ₩120,000 – ₩960,000 | 1021 |
| Hip MRI | ₩450,000 $320 | ₩120,000 – ₩960,000 | 994 |
| Ankle MRI | ₩450,000 $320 | ₩120,000 – ₩995,000 | 1002 |
| Wrist MRI | ₩450,000 $320 | ₩120,000 – ₩960,000 | 979 |
| Elbow MRI | ₩450,000 $320 | ₩120,000 – ₩960,000 | 986 |
Bringing scans home, or bringing them here
Korean hospitals will usually accept outside imaging for review, but a treating surgeon frequently wants their own — different machine, different protocol, and their own radiologist reading it. Do not assume scans from home remove the need for scans here.
Going the other way, ask for your images on disc before you leave. It is inexpensive, and it means a doctor at home can see what was found.
Regional breakdowns and every disclosing hospital are on the MRI category page, and the general MRI guide covers how MRI pricing works across body parts.
Figures on this page are read from the published disclosure data at build time, so they match the price pages exactly. This is general information about published prices, not medical advice, and it does not recommend any hospital. Confirm any figure with the hospital before treatment.