South Korea Nuclear Imaging Market Size & Share Analysis - Growth Trends And Forecast (2025 - 2030)

South Korea Nuclear Imaging Market Trends and Insights

Growing Oncology PET/CT Demand Driven by an Aging Population

Korea’s population aged 65 plus will reach 20.3% in 2025, placing sustained pressure on oncology imaging capacity. High-sensitivity PET/CT scanners deployed at the National Cancer Center show markedly improved lesion detection in prostate cancer, achieving 86.9% accuracy with 68Ga-NGUL tracers. Hospitals are accelerating procurement schedules, with Yonsei Cancer Center adding a carbon-ion facility that began treating patients in 2023. Parallel clinical-trial data demonstrate 49.5% objective response rates for targeted alpha therapy in neuroendocrine tumors. These factors combine to keep the South Korea nuclear imaging market firmly anchored in oncology leadership.

Government Reimbursement Expansion for Dementia PET Tracers

The Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service widened coverage for amyloid and tau PET imaging in January 2025, cutting patient co-payments by 18%. The policy supports a projected trebling of dementia prevalence by 2050, intensifying demand for early PET-based diagnosis. Seoul-based tertiary centers report 92% diagnostic accuracy when pairing AI analytics with PET for mild cognitive impairment screening. Expanded insurance coverage thereby sustains medium-term volume growth for the South Korea nuclear imaging market.

Roll-out of Domestic Ga-68 Generator Manufacturing Capacity

KAERI commenced commercial actinium-225 output in mid-2025 and is scaling gallium-68 generator lines to mitigate European reactor supply risk^{[2]Source: The Korea Times, “Korea to produce cancer treatment actinium-225 domestically by mid-2025,” koreatimes.co.kr} . Cyclotron-produced Ga-68 shows 491 GBq/µmol apparent molar activity, markedly outclassing generator-derived alternatives. Domestic isotopes are priced nearly 14% below imported equivalents, freeing budget for equipment upgrades. Localized supply thereby strengthens resilience and underpins the South Korea nuclear imaging market.

Hospital Privatization Accelerates Equipment Refresh Cycles

Approval of Greenland International Hospital as Korea’s first for-profit facility signals broader privatization momentum. Government infrastructure packages allocate KRW 10 trillion for hospital expansion through 2028, amplifying private capital flows. Equipment vendors note reduced sales-cycle times, reflecting aggressive procurement by urban private centers. The trend elevates unit shipments and lifts near-term revenue for the South Korea nuclear imaging market.

Radiopharmaceutical Supply-Chain Intermittency

The October 2024 European reactor outage slashed Mo-99 output by 50%, forcing Korean clinics to ration 99mTc doses. Cardiology centers extended imaging windows and curtailed elective studies, undercutting procedure volumes. Reliance on aged foreign reactors exposes Korea to geopolitical and maintenance shocks, pressuring procurement budgets. Accelerated domestic actinium-225 and Ga-68 programs mitigate but do not yet eliminate risk. Supply instability remains the largest drag on the South Korea nuclear imaging market.

High Capital Cost of PET/MR Limiting Provincial Access

Integrated PET/MR systems exceed USD 5 million per unit, constraining adoption outside academic flagships. Provincial hospitals face longer payback horizons amid lower patient throughput. Government grants focus on PET/CT expansion, leaving PET/MR largely unfunded. The cost gap sustains modality imbalance, limiting comprehensive oncologic imaging in rural areas. Uneven equipment distribution restrains equal growth across the South Korea nuclear imaging market.

Segment Analysis

By Product: Equipment Dominance Strengthens High-Resolution Imaging Adoption

The Equipment segment captured 53.45% of the South Korea nuclear imaging market share in 2024, underscoring provider commitment to high-resolution molecular imaging. Rapid rollout of digital detector technology improves sensitivity, letting hospitals justify premium pricing. Domestic Ga-68 production lowers tracer overhead, raising PET utilization rates across oncology and neurology. SPECT retains a strong installed base, yet faces competitive displacement in capital budgets. Equipment vendors increasingly bundle AI reconstruction to differentiate offerings, supporting higher average-selling prices.

Radioisotopes is projected to expand at an 8.12% CAGR on a value basis through 2030 as provincial hospitals favor its lower entry cost. Hybrid SPECT/CT upgrades extend the modality’s lifespan by improving anatomical localization in cardiology and thyroid imaging. The radioisotope sub-segment benefits from steady technetium-99m demand despite global supply volatility. Cyclotron-enabled copper-64 and gallium-68 pipelines diversify tracer options, reinforcing resilience. Overall, the South Korea nuclear imaging market continues to tilt toward PET while sustaining niche opportunities in SPECT and emerging therapeutic isotopes.

By Application: Oncology Leads While Neurology Gains Momentum

Oncology maintained a commanding 64.89% revenue share in 2024, reflecting Korea’s advanced multi-modality cancer care pathways. Proton and carbon-ion centers integrate diagnostic PET/CT into treatment planning, deepening procedure frequency per patient. Targeted alpha therapies guided by theranostic imaging expand addressable spend per case. Cardiology remains stable but secondary, awaiting broader tracer diversification.

Neurology shows the fastest acceleration with an 8.34% CAGR to 2030 as dementia screening becomes policy-backed. New amyloid and tau tracers coupled with AI analytics advance early diagnosis, pressing hospitals to add neuro-focused PET capacity. Thyroid imaging and therapy continue as steady-state niches supported by HANARO reactor-supplied I-131. The South Korea nuclear imaging market thus balances entrenched oncology leadership with rising neurological demand.

By End User: Academic Centers Propel Theranostics Research

Hospitals command 72.02% of the South Korea nuclear imaging market, leveraging integrated inpatient, outpatient, and surgical services. Flagship university hospitals serve as national referral hubs, operating multi-scanner suites that feed high daily throughput. Private facilities invest aggressively to retain high-acuity oncology and neurology cases in competitive urban corridors.

Academic and research institutes post an 8.16% CAGR through 2030, driven by translational theranostics programs and government R&D grants. Their proximity to cyclotrons and GMP radiochemistry labs positions them to pioneer actinium-225 and copper-64 trials. Dedicated diagnostic imaging centers fill urban scheduling gaps, particularly for PET/CT overflow. Collectively, these end-user dynamics reinforce sustained demand within the South Korea nuclear imaging market.

Geography Analysis

The Seoul metropolitan area hosts the highest density of PET/CT and cyclotron assets, anchoring more than two-thirds of national procedure volume. Flagship institutions—including Seoul National University Hospital and Korea University Medical Center—align clinical services with in-house tracer production, further cementing regional dominance. Concentration in Seoul accelerates innovation cycles, but also magnifies disparities with provincial hospitals.

Busan and surrounding Southeastern provinces represent the second growth pole, catalyzed by National University Hospital’s planned proton center and industrial links to isotope-production supply chains. Regional policy incentives, including corporate tax relief for medical-tourism facilities, spur private-sector imaging investments. However, capital intensity limits PET/MR penetration, and technologist scarcity persists outside major cities.

Rural districts remain underserved owing to long travel distances and limited equipment budgets. The Act on Integrated Support for Community Care encourages tertiary centers to deploy mobile imaging units and tele-nuclear-medicine platforms, yet execution lags due to transport-permit constraints. Addressing geographic imbalances will be crucial for equitable expansion of the South Korea nuclear imaging market.