Orthopaedic appliances, artificial body parts and hearing aids: South Korea exports and imports
HS 9021 · 정형외과용 기기(목발ㆍ외과용 벨트와 탈장대를 포함한다), 골절 치료용 부목과 그 밖의 골절 치료구, 인공 인체 부분, 보청기, 결함ㆍ장애를 보정하기 위하여 착용하거나 휴대하거나 인체에 삽입하는 그 밖의 기기 · latest month: October 2026
In October 2026, South Korea exported $98.7 million of orthopaedic appliances, artificial body parts and hearing aids (HS 9021), up 2.6% from September 2026 and up 28.3% from October 2025.
Over the 12 months to October 2026, exports of orthopaedic appliances, artificial body parts and hearing aids (HS 9021) totalled $1.12 billion, up 5.8% from the 12 months before ($1.06 billion).
The largest destination over the 12 months to October 2026 was China ($263.3 million, 23.5% of the total), followed by Russia and the United States.
That was 6.3% of South Korea's exports under HS chapter 90 (optical, measuring and medical instruments) over the same 12 months.
Imports in October 2026 were $82.1 million (up 29.1% from October 2025), leaving a surplus of $16.7 million for the month.
Official description of HS 9021: Orthopaedic appliances, including crutches, surgical belts and trusses; splints and other fracture appliances; artificial parts of the body; hearing aids and other appliances which are worn or carried, or implanted in the body, to compensate for a defect or disability.
Last 24 months
Subheadings under HS 9021
| Code | Product | Exports, 12 months | Share | vs 12 months before | October 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9021.10 | Orthopaedic or fracture appliances | $28.8M | 2.6% | +43.7% | $2.7M |
| 9021.10.0000 | Orthopaedic or fracture appliances | $0 | 0.0% | -100.0% | $0 |
| 9021.10.1000 | Screws, staples, pins and other similar appliances | $4.0M | 14.0% | +40.7% | $644K |
| 9021.10.9000 | Other | $24.7M | 86.0% | +75.1% | $2.0M |
| 9021.21 | Artificial teeth | $11.4M | 1.0% | +5.5% | $793K |
| 9021.29 | Other | $829.9M | 74.0% | +5.8% | $71.6M |
| 9021.31 | Artificial joints | $18.5M | 1.7% | -21.7% | $1.0M |
| 9021.39 | Other | $11.7M | 1.0% | -14.2% | $1.1M |
| 9021.39.0000 | Other | $0 | 0.0% | -100.0% | $0 |
| 9021.39.1000 | Intraocular lens | $996K | 8.5% | +826.6% | $49K |
| 9021.39.9000 | Other | $10.7M | 91.5% | -4.6% | $1.1M |
| 9021.40 | Hearing aids, excluding parts and accessories | $6.2M | 0.6% | -21.1% | $493K |
| 9021.50 | Pacemakers for stimulating heart muscles, excluding parts and accessories | $331K | 0.0% | +175.5% | $2,755 |
| 9021.90 | Other | $214.9M | 19.2% | +7.5% | $21.0M |
| 9021.90.1000 | Other | $0 | 0.0% | -100.0% | $0 |
| 9021.90.1010 | Stent | $89.6M | 41.7% | +39.0% | $9.1M |
| 9021.90.1090 | Other | $61.8M | 28.8% | +25.0% | $4.9M |
| 9021.90.8000 | Other | $20.4M | 9.5% | -2.5% | $1.3M |
| 9021.90.9000 | Parts and accessories | $43.0M | 20.0% | +19.0% | $5.7M |
Six-digit codes are international; the indented ten-digit codes are South Korea's own subdivision. These rows are world totals; "Share" is the share of the row above.
Top destinations
Export value over the 12 months to October 2026. 149 countries received this product from South Korea in the last 24 months; the table shows the largest 20.
| Rank | Country | Exports, 12 months | Share | vs 12 months before | Rank before | October 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | $263.3M | 23.5% | -5.6% | 1 | $22.6M |
| 2 | Russia | $145.4M | 13.0% | +14.5% | 2 | $8.7M |
| 3 | United States | $85.0M | 7.6% | -9.6% | 3 | $7.6M |
| 4 | Japan | $50.1M | 4.5% | +4.7% | 4 | $6.6M |
| 5 | Türkiye | $48.9M | 4.4% | +17.5% | 5 | $4.6M |
| 6 | Netherlands | $43.6M | 3.9% | +35.4% | 8 | $6.6M |
| 7 | United Arab Emirates | $32.6M | 2.9% | -3.1% | 6 | $4.0M |
| 8 | Vietnam | $31.2M | 2.8% | -3.2% | 7 | $2.2M |
| 9 | India | $31.0M | 2.8% | +13.3% | 9 | $3.4M |
| 10 | Brazil | $26.7M | 2.4% | +31.5% | 10 | $4.7M |
| 11 | Thailand | $21.7M | 1.9% | +18.8% | 11 | $1.7M |
| 12 | Ukraine | $20.6M | 1.8% | +17.1% | 12 | $659K |
| 13 | Germany | $16.0M | 1.4% | +43.7% | 16 | $1.4M |
| 14 | Taiwan | $13.5M | 1.2% | +7.9% | 15 | $977K |
| 15 | Mexico | $13.0M | 1.2% | -16.4% | 13 | $1.3M |
| 16 | Kazakhstan | $12.8M | 1.1% | -17.8% | 14 | $170K |
| 17 | Romania | $10.6M | 0.9% | +10.5% | 17 | $1.3M |
| 18 | Iran | $10.5M | 0.9% | +24.3% | 22 | $1.2M |
| 19 | Hong Kong | $10.4M | 0.9% | +11.8% | 18 | $423K |
| 20 | Indonesia | $10.4M | 0.9% | +11.8% | 19 | $930K |
Countries are linked when exports of this product to them reached $5,000,000 over 24 months.
Monthly figures
| Month | Exports | vs year earlier | Export weight | Export $/kg | Imports | Import weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 2026 | $98.7M | +28.3% | 203 t | $487.02 | $82.1M | 259 t |
| September 2026 | $96.2M | -5.2% | 184 t | $522.36 | $70.5M | 281 t |
| August 2026 | $87.2M | +26.4% | 170 t | $511.83 | $77.2M | 249 t |
| July 2026 | $93.2M | -1.1% | 199 t | $468.39 | $76.7M | 384 t |
| June 2026 | $117.5M | +11.8% | 234 t | $501.90 | $79.1M | 330 t |
| May 2026 | $83.5M | +2.6% | 184 t | $454.30 | $67.8M | 253 t |
| April 2026 | $89.0M | +9.0% | 171 t | $521.55 | $76.2M | 313 t |
| March 2026 | $101.7M | +19.9% | 189 t | $537.38 | $82.9M | 179 t |
| February 2026 | $68.2M | -17.6% | 129 t | $530.31 | $75.4M | 231 t |
| January 2026 | $67.5M | -5.1% | 132 t | $512.55 | $69.2M | 219 t |
| December 2025 | $131.6M | +18.7% | 250 t | $527.38 | $74.1M | 252 t |
| November 2025 | $87.3M | -13.5% | 170 t | $514.45 | $65.7M | 211 t |
| October 2025 | $77.0M | -13.2% | 141 t | $544.66 | $63.6M | 230 t |
| September 2025 | $101.5M | +28.4% | 190 t | $535.41 | $73.0M | 237 t |
| August 2025 | $69.0M | -3.2% | 123 t | $560.68 | $65.1M | 200 t |
| July 2025 | $94.2M | +8.0% | 178 t | $529.74 | $75.1M | 499 t |
| June 2025 | $105.1M | +10.8% | 179 t | $587.65 | $68.5M | 297 t |
| May 2025 | $81.4M | -27.9% | 150 t | $542.04 | $66.4M | 248 t |
| April 2025 | $81.6M | -16.6% | 160 t | $508.96 | $75.0M | 235 t |
| March 2025 | $84.9M | -23.1% | 153 t | $554.73 | $64.7M | 205 t |
| February 2025 | $82.8M | -8.5% | 166 t | $498.88 | $62.9M | 141 t |
| January 2025 | $71.1M | -21.4% | 130 t | $547.92 | $59.2M | 247 t |
| December 2024 | $110.9M | -9.2% | 201 t | $552.96 | $70.0M | 234 t |
| November 2024 | $100.9M | +3.9% | 172 t | $587.10 | $63.4M | 163 t |
Exports FOB, imports CIF, US dollars. Weight is net weight. "vs year earlier" compares export value with the same month one year before and is left blank when that month was under $10,000. Source: Korea Customs Service, via data.go.kr.