As of 2022, the total market size of the wound dressings in Korea is estimated to be approximately ***USD, about ***% increase compared to the previous year. Reimbursement volume is estimated ***USD (around ***% of the entire market). Afterwards, it is expected to maintain an average annual growth rate of at least ***% and as a result, the market size is projected to be approximately ***USD in 2026. Reimbursement volume is projected to be ***USD (around ***% of the entire market).

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety classifies wound dressings as a subcategory of Group B Medical Supplies. There were 18 product names in total but three product names including secondary healing saline wound dressing, interaction wound dressing, and warm-sealed wound dressing were removed from the official notification on ***. Therefore, they are not covered in detail in this report.

Anti-adhesion dressings (product classification number B07070.14) are classified as wound dressings with the intended use of preventing adhesions of tissues and organs inside the body, but since their function is anti-adhesion, they are also excluded from this report. In the same vein, synthetic absorbable wound dressings (product classification number B07070.18), also known as endoscopic surgical hemostatic agents, are not included in this report. For eugenol periodontal wound dressings (product classification number B07070.17), there are no companies or products registered with the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, so they are not discussed in detail.


One of the natures of the wound dressings is that a significant amount of them are used to patients with chronic diseases across multiple departments. Therefore, in order to obtain the most accurate figures possible, duplicate data are eliminated and stricter standards are applied than the previous 2019 report. Readers who have already read the previous report may have questions about the decreased reimbursement volume. We encourage you to read this report after understanding the reasons described above.

Rather than comparing the reduced numbers to the previous report one-to-one, we recommend that our readers use this report to understand the overall trend of the wound dressing market. At a macro level, the wound dressing market continues to grow, but there have been several changes among the major players. From 2020 to 2022 the market has grown around Mepilex products of Mölnlycke. Pico of Smith & Nephew has seemed to gain momentum after 3M's acquisition of KCI. Detailed explanations are in Chapter 4 and 5.

Total wound dressing volume consumed by medical institutions appears to be as follows: hospital *** million units (***%), general hospital ***million units (***%), and tertiary hospital ***million units(***%). Hospitals and general hospitals use the largest amount of wound dressings. In terms of reimbursement volume by end-user type in 2021, tertiary hospitals account for the largest portion about ***USD (***%). General hospitals about ***USD (***%) and hospitals about ***USD (***%) follow.

The amount of wound dressing consumption by medical department is estimated as follows: Surgery *** million units(***%), orthopedic surgery ***million units (***%), and internal medicine *** million units (***%). In terms of the amount of reimbursement claims by medical department, it is estimated that internal medicine about ***USD, orthopedic surgery about ***USD, surgery about ***USD, and plastic surgery ***USD.

In 2022, ***manufacturers/importers play a part in the wound dressings market of Korea and this is more than ***% annual growth on average compared to 2018. The top *** companies account for approximately ***% of the whole market.

In terms of market size by medical institutions' purchase prices, it is estimated that Mölnlycke Health Care ***USD (***%), Smith+Nephew ***USD (***%), Mundipharma ***USD (***%), Ildong Pharmaceutical ***USD (***%), Juthis ***USD (***%), Daewoong/CG Bio ***USD (***%), Coloplast ***USD (***%), Convatec ***USD (***%), 3M ***USD (***%), and others ***USD.

Among all the wound dressings, foam dressings still appear to lead the market. For non-reimbursement part, applying medical devices (so-called ""MD creams"") are growing fast. These products are listed as 'skin protectors' on National Health Insurance Product Group. Since the government does not control the selling price, the suppliers have the power to determine the selling prices, and both the suppliers and the medical institutions perceive it as a relatively high-profit business. Therefore, not only traditional pharmaceutical companies but also large companies in the cosmetics industry have entered the market, so fierce competition is expected in the future.

National Health Insurance is a double-edged sword, both an opportunity and a threat to the wound dressing market. The Park Geun-hye administration introduced select reimbursement and the Moon Jae-in administration introduced reserve reimbursement. In the name of expanding coverage, many wound dressings that were previously classified as non-reimbursement were converted to reimbursement, and the selling prices of the products were lowered. Previously, the suppliers were free to determine the selling prices of the non-reimbursement products. However, after converting of non-reimbursement products to reimbursement products on the Medical Device Reimbursement and Non-Reimbursement List, price cap is introduced prohibiting the sales of the products above the upper limit. It is expected that the conversion of non-reimbursement products into reimbursement products will continue and there will be significant ripple effect on the wound dressing market depending on the changes of reimbursement criteria.

The number of wound dressing products (according to the Therapeutic Materials Product Group Code) notified in the Medical Device Reimbursement and Non-Reimbursement List continues to fluctuate year by year. It decreased from *** in 2018 to ***in 2020, and then increased again to *** in 2022. However, the number of non-reimbursement products continues to decrease, from *** in 2018 to *** in 2022, an average annual decrease of ***% over the past *** years. Therefore, it can be said that most products of the current wound dressing market are within the scope of reimbursement coverage.

Chapter 1 Introduction
   1.1 Purpose
   1.2 Suggestions for Best Use
   1.3 Scope
   1.4 Market Segmentation
   1.5 Research Methods
      1.5.1 Desk Research
      1.5.2 Primary Research
   1.6 Analytic and Projection Methods of Market Size
      1.6.1 Data Sources
      1.6.2 Exchange Rate

Chapter 2 Executive Summary

Chapter 3 Market Overview
   3.1 Market Size at Manufacturers/Importers’ Initial Selling Prices
      3.1.1 Five-Year Forecast of Market Size
   3.2 Market Size by Distribution Channel
   3.3 Market Size at Medical Institutions’ Purchase Prices
      3.3.1 Reimbursement Volume by Product Category
      3.3.2 Reimbursement Volume by Supplier
      3.3.3 Reimbursement Volume by Medical Department
      3.3.4 Reimbursement Volume by End-User Type

Chapter 4 Major Suppliers
   4.1 Coloplast
   4.2 Convatec
   4.3 Molnycke Healthcare
   4.4 Mundi Pharma
   4.5 Smith&Nephew
   4.6 Juthis
   4.7 Ildong Pharmaceutical
   4.8 3M
   4.9 Daewoong Pharmaceutical
   4.10 CGBIO
   4.11 T&L,·Genewel,·WON Biogen

Chapter 5 Market Dynamics
   5.1 Impact of COVID-19
   5.2 Characteristics of Healthcare Market in Korea
      5.2.1 History of Modern Wound Dressing
      5.2.2 Change History of Payment Environment
      5.2.3 Number of Medical Institutions in Korea
      5.2.4 Determanation Criteria for Reimbursement vs. Non-Reimbursement
   5.3 Key Indicators of Wound Dressing Market
      5.3.1 Rising Costs and Competition for More Beds
      5.3.2 Aging Population
      5.3.3 Number of Surgical Operations
      5.3.4 Wound Care Services
         5.3.4.1 Simple Wound Care
         5.3.4.2 Inflammation Treatments
         5.3.4.3 Burn Treatments
         5.3.4.4 Dermatological Treatments
         5.3.4.5 Biological Treatments
         5.3.4.6 Postoperative Treatments
      5.3.5 Diabetic Foot Ulcer
      5.3.6 Pressure Ulcer
      5.3.7 Burns
      5.3.8 Rising Consumer Awareness
   5.4 Market Drivers
      5.4.1 Demand
      5.4.2 Supply
   5.5 Market Opportunities
      5.5.1 Aging Population and Rising Healthcare Spending
      5.5.2 Reimbursement Coverage Expansion Policy
      5.5.3 Novel Wound care Technologies
   5.6 Market Restraints
      5.6.1 Future Changes in Government Reimbursement Policy
      5.6.2 Product Grouping Rules in National Health Insurance
      5.6.3 Fluctuating Exchange Rate
   5.7 Unmet Needs

[Table 1] Market Size of Initial Selling Prices (2018-2022) (in USD)
[Table 2] Five-Year Forecast of Market Size (2022-2026) (in USD)
[Table 3] Market Size at Medical Insitutions' Purchase Prices (2018-2022)
[Table 4] Reimbursement Volume by Product Category (2018-2022)
[Table 5] Estimated Reimbursement Volume by Supplier (2022)
[Table 6] Reimbursement Volume by Medical Department (2018-2022)
[Table 7] Reimbursement Volume Forecast for Major Medical Departments
[Table 8] Reimbursement Volume by End-User Type
[Table 9] Manufacturers and Suppliers of Key Brands
[Table 10] Companies and Products (as of December 2022)
[Table 11] Coloplast
[Table 12] Convatec
[Table 13] Mölnlycke Healthcare
[Table 14] Mundipharma
[Table 15] Smith+Nephew
[Table 16] Juthis
[Table 17] Ildong Pharmaceutical
[Table 18] 3M
[Table 19] Daewoong Pharmaceutical
[Table 20] CGBio
[Table 21] T&L, Genewel, WONBIOGEN
[Table 22] Changes in National Health Insurance
[Table 23] Number of Medical Institutions in Korea (2021)
[Table 24] Number of Beds for Major Hospitals (2021)
[Table 25] Determination Criteria for Reimbursement (as of 1 December 2022)
[Table 26] Total Number of Beds for Hospitals of OECD Countries
[Table 27] Estimated Health Spending and GDP of OECD Countries (2021)
[Table 28] Estimate of Elderly Population over 65 Years Old
[Table 29] Estimate of Elderly Population over 65 Years Old
[Table 30] Number of Surgical Claims (2017-2021)
[Table 31] Trend in Number of Surgical Operations (2017-2021)
[Table 32] Wound care Service Code of National Health Insurance
[Table 33] Reimbursement Volume by National Health Insurance Service Code (2017-2021)
[Table 34] Simple Wound Care (2017-2021)
[Table 35] Inflammation Treatments (2017-2021)
[Table 36] Burn Treatments (2017-2021)
[Table 37] Dermatological Treatments (2017-2021)
[Table 38] Biological Treatments (2017-2021)
[Table 39] Postoperative Treatments (2017-2021)
[Table 40] Number of Diabetic Foot Ulcer Patients (2017-2021)
[Table 41] Number of Pressure Ulcer Patients (2017-2021)
[Table 42] Pressure Ulcer Treatment by Age Group (2021)
[Table 43] Trend in Number of Burn Patient by End-User Type (2017-2021)
[Table 44] Trend in Number of Outpatient/Inpatient Burns (2017-2021)
[Table 45] Trend in Number of Burn Patient by Age Group (2017-2021)
[Table 46] Trend in Burn Surgery (2017-2021)
[Table 47] Summary of Market Drivers
[Table 48] Changes in Number of Wound Dressing Products (2017-2021)
[Table 49] Reimbursement Criteria for Wound Dressing Products
[Table 50] Adjustment Rate Table of Medical Device by Exchange Rate

[Fig 1] Market Size of Initial Selling Prices 2018-2022 (in USD)
[Fig 2] Five-Year Forecast of Market Size 2022-2026 (in USD)
[Fig 3] Market Size by Distribution Channel (2022-2026)
[Fig 4] Market Size by Distribution Channel (2018-2021)
[Fig 5] Market Size at Medical Institutions' Purchase Prices (2018-2022)
[Fig 6] Reimbursement Volume by Product Category 2022 (in USD)
[Fig 7] Trend in Reimbursement Volume of Product Category (2018-2022)
[Fig 8] Estimated Reimbursement Volume by Supplier 2022 (in USD)
[Fig 9] Reimbursement Volume by Medical Department 2022 (in USD)
[Fig 10] Trend in Reimbursement Volume of Medical Deparment (2018-2022)
[Fig 11] Trend in Reimbursement Volume of DRG (2016-2021)
[Fig 12] Trend in Number of Deliveries (2017-2021)
[Fig 13] Reimbursement Volume by End-User Type 2022 (in USD)
[Fig 14] Trend in Reimbursement Volume of End-User Type (2018-2022)
[Fig 15] Trend in Number of COVID-19 Patients (2020-2022)
[Fig 16] Reimbursement Claim Volume of Big 5 Hospitals 2016-2020 (in USD)
[Fig 17] Ranking of Tertiary Hospitals with Decreased Reimbursement Volume (2018-2021 Q3)
[Fig 18] Number of Medical Institutions (2011-2021)
[Fig 19] Trend in Healthcare Spending Compared to GDP (2012-2021) 87
[Fig 20] Percentage of Elderly Population (65 years+)
[Fig 21] Health Spending on Elderly Population: 65 years+ (in USD / 1,000 persons)
[Fig 22] Number of Diabetic Foot Ulcer Patients (2017-2021)
[Fig 23] Number of Pressure Ulcer Patients (2017-2021)

1 Coloplast
2 Convatec
3 Mölnlycke Healthcare
4 Mundipharma
5 Smith+Nephew
6 Juthis
7 Ildong Pharmaceutical
8 3M
9 Daewoong Pharmaceutical
10 CGBio
11 T&L
12 Genewel
13 WONBIOGEN