Chuna & pharmacopuncture (Korean medicine) cost in Korea
In Korean: 추나요법 · 약침 (chuna yobeop · yakchim)
For chuna and pharmacopuncture, Chuna — simple has a median price of ₩27,650 at Korean hospitals (about US$21). That is the middle of the prices reported by 264 hospitals, 42 of them in Seoul, to HIRA, the government’s Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service, as of 23 October 2026.
Median
₩27,650
US$21
Average
₩28,548
US$22
Lowest
₩10,000
US$7.54
Highest
₩80,000
US$60
Median: half of hospitals charge less, half more. Lowest and highest are single hospitals and can include unusual cases.
Chuna & pharmacopuncture (Korean medicine) prices by type
| Type | Median | Average | Range | Hospitals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chuna — simple단순추나 | ₩27,650 | ₩28,548 | ₩10,000 – ₩80,000 | 264 |
| Chuna — complex복잡추나 | ₩45,410 | ₩46,295 | ₩17,000 – ₩102,240 | 183 |
| Chuna — special (dislocation)특수추나 (탈구) | ₩71,550 | ₩74,894 | ₩28,100 – ₩200,000 | 79 |
| Chuna — special (visceral, craniosacral)특수추나 (내장기·두개천골) | ₩60,000 | ₩66,225 | ₩15,300 – ₩180,000 | 26 |
| Pharmacopuncture (herbal injection at acupoints)약침술 | ₩25,000 | ₩32,678 | ₩0 – ₩300,000 | 677 |
Hospitals: how many hospitals reported a price for that type. Prices as reported.
Chuna — simple by kind of hospital
| Kind of hospital | Median | Average | Range | Hospitals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General hospitals종합병원 | ₩35,000 | ₩37,814 | ₩26,330 – ₩50,000 | 7 |
| Hospitals병원 | ₩23,000 | ₩24,923 | ₩10,800 – ₩50,000 | 13 |
| Korean medicine hospitals한방병원 | ₩27,650 | ₩28,280 | ₩10,000 – ₩80,000 | 237 |
| Long-term care hospitals요양병원 | ₩30,000 | ₩35,714 | ₩10,000 – ₩60,000 | 7 |
University (tertiary) hospitals are the large teaching hospitals such as those of Seoul National, Yonsei and Korea universities. Small clinics (의원) are not in this data — see how to check a clinic’s price.
Chuna — simple by region
| Region | Median | Average | Range | Hospitals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seoul서울 | ₩30,000 | ₩31,502 | ₩10,000 – ₩70,000 | 42 |
| Gyeonggi경기 | ₩27,650 | ₩28,545 | ₩10,000 – ₩50,000 | 77 |
| Incheon인천 | ₩27,700 | ₩28,002 | ₩14,000 – ₩50,000 | 17 |
| Busan부산 | ₩28,825 | ₩31,416 | ₩20,330 – ₩50,000 | 23 |
| Daegu대구 | ₩22,000 | ₩25,789 | ₩10,000 – ₩50,000 | 15 |
| Daejeon대전 | ₩27,650 | ₩23,530 | ₩10,000 – ₩30,000 | 4 |
| Ulsan울산 | ₩28,740 | ₩26,129 | ₩10,000 – ₩38,770 | 7 |
| Sejong세종시 | ₩30,000 | ₩30,000 | ₩30,000 – ₩30,000 | 1 |
| Gangwon강원 | ₩20,000 | ₩23,333 | ₩20,000 – ₩30,000 | 3 |
| Chungbuk충북 | ₩25,850 | ₩26,700 | ₩20,000 – ₩40,000 | 4 |
| Chungnam충남 | ₩29,960 | ₩28,733 | ₩10,000 – ₩50,000 | 14 |
| Jeonbuk전북 | ₩20,000 | ₩20,836 | ₩10,000 – ₩30,000 | 6 |
| Jeonnam-Gwangju전남광주 | ₩30,000 | ₩30,432 | ₩10,000 – ₩80,000 | 27 |
| Gyeongbuk경북 | ₩24,000 | ₩24,667 | ₩20,000 – ₩30,000 | 6 |
| Gyeongnam경남 | ₩27,650 | ₩26,240 | ₩10,000 – ₩35,000 | 17 |
| Jeju제주 | ₩22,000 | ₩22,000 | ₩22,000 – ₩22,000 | 1 |
Regions with no reporting hospital are left out. Jeonnam-Gwangju is the merged Gwangju–South Jeolla region (since 1 July 2026).
What it is
Chuna is a Korean medicine manual therapy in which a Korean medicine doctor (hanui) uses hands and a special table to adjust joints and muscles. Pharmacopuncture injects herbal extracts at acupuncture points. Both are offered at Korean medicine hospitals and clinics (한의원).
What the price includes
Prices are per session.
Health insurance
National Health Insurance has covered chuna for musculoskeletal conditions since April 2019, up to 20 sessions a year (with a 50% co-payment for complex chuna). The prices here apply when it is not covered. Pharmacopuncture is non-covered.
Ask at the hospital
추나요법 가격이 얼마예요?
How much does it cost? — chuna yobeop gagyeogi eolmayeyo?
Questions
Is chuna like chiropractic?
They are similar in using the hands to adjust the spine and joints, but chuna is practised by licensed Korean medicine doctors and is often combined with acupuncture or herbal medicine.
About these numbers
- Source: HIRA non-covered medical fees open data (건강보험심사평가원 비급여진료비정보), items 407100000, 407200000, 407300001, 407300002, 490100000, updated 23 October 2026.
- Covers hospitals (병원급: university, general, dental, Korean medicine and other hospitals). Small clinics (의원) report to HIRA too but are not in the open data; their prices can be lower or higher.
- Median, average, lowest and highest are HIRA’s own figures. Hospital counts are the number of hospitals listed for each item.
- US$ amounts are rough conversions at ₩1,326 = US$1 (22 Oct 2026). Your card or exchange rate will differ.
- Prices are what hospitals report, not quotes. Always ask the hospital for a written estimate.