Nihon Keizai Shimbun: Koreans travel to Japan for cheaper Mounjaro

South Korean tourists are traveling to Japan to purchase the diabetes and obesity treatment Mounjaro at lower prices, giving rise to the social media trend known as sushijaro, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported on October 8. The cross-border purchasing surge highlights a stark price disparity between the two countries, which has also triggered a sharp rise in illegal import detections at South Korean customs.

The Price Disparity Driving Cross-Border Purchases

The primary driver behind the travel trend is the significant cost difference for the medication between South Korea and Japan. Purchasing a one-month supply of the lowest 2.5-milligram dose in Japan costs approximately 10,000 yen, or about 84,000 South Korean won, whereas the same supply in South Korea ranges from 280,000 to 350,000 won. One buyer told the Nihon Keizai Shimbun that even after factoring in round-trip airfare and lodging, purchasing the medication in Japan remains much cheaper.

Prices in Japan dropped further after the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare reduced the drug’s price by 25% in August 2026 to lower medical expenses. Conversely, South Korea does not provide health insurance coverage for Mounjaro when used for obesity treatment, leaving patients to cover the entire cost. Because non-benefit medical pricing is set autonomously by local healthcare providers, high demand for diet and cosmetic treatments has kept prices elevated.

Illegal Imports of Mounjaro Surge in South Korea

Although obtaining a prescription from an overseas medical provider is possible, bringing Mounjaro into South Korea without approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety is illegal. South Korea’s Customs Service has intensified inspection procedures at customs checkpoints in response to the influx. According to customs data, detections of illegal imports for Mounjaro and other obesity treatments like Wegovy jumped from four cases across the entire year of 2024 to 5,030 cases through August 2026.

Domestic consumption has also expanded rapidly. Data submitted by the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service to People Power Party lawmaker Han Ji-a shows that over 1.5 million prescriptions for Mounjaro were issued in South Korea over a ten-month period spanning from August 2025 to May 2026. Individuals in their twenties and thirties accounted for more than half of those prescriptions, and prescriptions for teenagers have also shown an upward trend.

Cosmetic Weight Loss Increases Risk of Medication Misuse

Mounjaro and other obesity medications are clinically indicated for patients with type 2 diabetes or individuals meeting specific body mass index criteria for obesity. However, rising usage for cosmetic weight loss has increased the risk of misuse and overuse. A Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency survey conducted in 2025 found that 68.5% of adults attempted to lose or maintain their weight, with particularly high dieting rates among young women. Among women aged 19 to 29 with a low BMI under 18.5, 16.2% reported dieting, while more than half of normal-weight women also attempted weight loss.

The Nihon Keizai Shimbun noted that South Korea has seen the rise of terms like bbun-malla, describing an extremely thin body type with visible bones, amid a cultural preference for very slender celebrity figures. Many young people follow extreme diet trends promising dramatic weight loss after viewing information on social media. Meanwhile, concerns persist that large-scale purchases of Mounjaro by foreign buyers in Japan could eventually limit drug supplies for patients with medical needs, prompting the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare to urge appropriate use of the medication.