How we measure
This is a trust register: we verify structural facts of trust, not surgical outcomes. Each clinic gets an open profile across 9 axes on one public ruler. No hidden scores and no hand-placed ranks — the Transparency Index composite is a 0–100 documentation index computed from published weights, not a star rating.
The gate — who enters the register
We list a clinic if it can be identified as a real, operating medical institution in the Gangnam aesthetic cell. A missing named specialist is not grounds to exclude (Unknown ≠ fault): such a clinic is listed with a flag but does not receive the "specialist-led" crown. A crown for a foreign-patient segment is available only with a register-verified KHIDI registration.
- Clinic registered (HIRA / KHIDI) — clinic registration — the clinic exists as a medical institution on HIRA (병원·약국 찾기); the foreign-patient version is confirmed on the KHIDI / MOHW registry
- Board-certified specialist (전문의) named — a board-certified specialist (전문의) is named as the operator and confirmable in an official specialist directory (KSPRS / KAPS / KDA)
- In register scope (Gangnam aesthetic) — a Gangnam aesthetic clinic — plastic surgery (성형외과) or dermatology (피부과) — within the register's scope
- Clinic operating — the clinic is genuinely operating and reachable for consultation
Why these axes
Every axis passes three sieves: buyer relevance, verifiability against a public source, and robustness to confounds (brand size, chain scale, ad budget).
- Buyer-relevant. The axis answers a real patient question: is the clinic registered, who actually operates and is that doctor a confirmed specialist, can it legally treat foreign patients, what is disclosed, and what it costs.
- Checkable. The value can be re-checked against a public Korean source — HIRA, the KHIDI / MOHW foreign-patient registry, the KSPRS / KAPS / KDA specialist directories, the medical-ad review record, or the clinic's own pages.
- Robust to confounds. The heavy axes do not reward fame: a small verified specialist-led clinic with a HIRA and KHIDI match beats a large, opaque, event-priced brand.
The nine axes
Seven measured (85%) and two editorial (15%). Each axis runs 1 to 5; the composite is normalised over the covered axes and mapped to 0–100.
| Axis | What the axis checks | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| M1 · Board-certified specialist (전문의) | Is a lead / operating doctor named and confirmed as a board-certified specialist in an official directory (KSPRS / KAPS / KDA), with the legal signboard form matching — the tell is "OO성형외과의원" (a specialist practice) versus "OO의원 진료과목 성형외과" (a general clinic advertising a treatment subject). We score credential attribution, never surgical skill. | 24% |
| M2 · Foreign-patient registration (KHIDI) | Is the clinic or branch present in the official foreign-patient attraction registry (외국인환자 유치기관, KHIDI / MOHW), matched by legal name, address and service line. This is the legal gate to treat foreign patients; a clinic's own claim without a registry match is secondary-only. | 18% |
| M3 · Clinic registration (HIRA) | Does the clinic exist as a registered medical institution on HIRA (병원·약국 찾기), with legal name, address, institution type and current status matching the card. Baseline legality, not popularity. | 12% |
| M4 · Operating-room accountability (CCTV) | Does the clinic disclose OR-CCTV, the patient's right to request a recording, and any no-proxy pledge tied to the named operator. We score the disclosure, never what happens in the operating room; N/A for non-surgical dermatology. | 10% |
| M5 · Advertising compliance (심의필) | Do the advertising surfaces carry valid pre-review identifiers (심의필) where required and stay clear of prohibited claims — guaranteed effects, "No.1", testimonials, unmatched accreditation. We score the ad discipline, never marketing polish. | 8% |
| M6 · Price / process transparency | Is the path to payment clear — consultation model, deposit / refund, revision and aftercare, plus published ranges or an explicit consult-only rationale. Event pricing is not automatically a plus; clarity is. | 7% |
| M7 · International-patient pathway | Is the foreign-patient path disclosed — supported languages, coordinator role, consent, documents, aftercare and remote follow-up — and kept separate from concierge marketing. | 6% |
| E1 · Operator continuity / franchise transparency | Is the chain of responsibility legible — brand → legal clinic / branch → named doctor(s) → procedure — so a patient sees whether they are choosing a clinic, a doctor or a brand front. Human-reviewed and source-backed; opacity is a fact, not an accusation. | 8% |
| E2 · Claim cleanliness & patient protection | Are the clinic's claims careful and bounded — medical fact separated from marketing, risks and patient rights disclosed — rather than outcome guarantees and pressure funnels. Egregious cases trigger the red-flag cap. | 7% |
How the axes are weighted
The heavy axes are the buyer-predictive, checkable, confound-resistant ones: the board-certified specialist behind the procedure (24) and the KHIDI foreign-patient registration (18) — who is accountable and whether the clinic may legally treat foreign patients — then HIRA registration (12). The light ones are where a brand- or budget-proxy risk is high: advertising compliance (8), price / process (7), international-patient pathway (6).
Measured axes sum to 85, editorial to 15. The Transparency Index composite is the weighted average of the covered axes, mapped to 0–100 — a documentation index, not a quality or star rating. Below 75% coverage the composite is withheld (insufficient evidence).
The red-flag cap
A documented, sourced structural red flag — an adjudicated ghost-surgery / 대리수술 court or official record, a confirmed non-specialist operating a promoted surgical category, an official KHIDI no-match for a clearly foreign-facing clinic, or a fabricated credential or accreditation — caps the composite from above (a ceiling of 39–79 out of 100 by severity). "Not found" is never a red flag: a cap requires an official contradiction or a sourced, dated fact, not a rumour, and any adverse wording is human-reviewed and carries the clinic's right of reply before it is published.
Reproducible by design
Each cell carries a source class (OFFICIAL / SECONDARY / UNVERIFIED) and a date. A score without a source is impossible: "not found" is an empty value with text, not a guess. Any external auditor can repeat the check against the same public Korean registries — HIRA, KHIDI / MOHW, the KSPRS / KAPS / KDA specialist directories, the medical-ad review record. We accept edits from clinics only with a source link; we show the clinic's response alongside, but we don't change a score without a source. The register takes no money from clinics and never books or refers patients (유인·알선).