AUVEL Clinic Journal
Is the Doctor a Board-Certified Dermatologist?
Is the doctor treating me at a Korean clinic a board-certified dermatologist?
At AUVEL Clinic, yes — both doctors are board-certified dermatologists, and every treatment is performed one-to-one directly by one of them. The distinction matters because a medical licence and a specialist qualification are not the same thing, and only one of them is specific to skin.
| Medical Director | Dr. Ko Young-wook, board-certified dermatologist |
|---|---|
| Director | Dr. Song Chang-hwa, board-certified dermatologist |
| Medical school | Hanyang University College of Medicine — honours graduates |
| Residency | Dermatology, Hanyang University Hospital |
| Who performs treatment | The dermatologist, one-to-one |
| Societies | Korean Dermatological Association and three others |
| Consultation | Diagnosis before any device is chosen |
The distinction the question is really about
A medical licence and a specialist qualification are different things. The first means someone completed medical school and is licensed to practise; the second means they went on to complete residency training in one field and were certified in it. Both are real, and only one of them is about skin.
This matters in aesthetic medicine more than in most fields, because the treatments themselves are open to a wider range of practitioners than the diagnosis behind them is. The device does not know who is holding it.
So the useful version of the question is not whether a doctor is involved. It is whether the person deciding what your marks are, and choosing what to do about them, trained in that specifically.
Dr. Ko Young-wook, Medical Director
An honours graduate of Hanyang University College of Medicine, with his internship and dermatology residency both completed at Hanyang University Hospital, where he also received the Kind Staff Award.
He is a member of the Korean Dermatological Association, the Korean Association of Dermatologists, the Korean Society for Clinical Dermatologic Treatment and the Korean Society for Skin Anti-aging.
Before AUVEL Clinic he served as Medical Director at Mellow Dermatology Sinsa and at Mellow Dermatology Gangbuk, and as Head of Dermatology at the ROK Armed Forces Pocheon Hospital.
- Honours graduate, Hanyang University College of Medicine
- Internship and dermatology residency, Hanyang University Hospital
- Kind Staff Award, Hanyang University Hospital
- Former Head of Dermatology, ROK Armed Forces Pocheon Hospital
Dr. Song Chang-hwa, Director
Also an honours graduate of Hanyang University College of Medicine, with a master's degree in dermatology from Hanyang University, and internship and dermatology residency completed at Hanyang University Hospital.
Previously Director at Mellow Dermatology Sinsa, and an attending physician at Welfare Dermatology under the Korea Hansen Welfare Association.
Two dermatologists rather than one is a practical point as well as a credential one: it is what makes one-to-one treatment by a specialist workable across a full appointment book.
- Honours graduate, Hanyang University College of Medicine
- M.S. in Dermatology, Hanyang University
- Internship and dermatology residency, Hanyang University Hospital
- Former attending physician, Welfare Dermatology, Korea Hansen Welfare Association
Why the credential shows up in the appointment
The stated arrangement here is that every treatment is performed one-to-one directly by a board-certified dermatologist. Not designed by one and delegated, and not supervised from another room.
The place this is most visible is the diagnosis. A lentigo, a melasma patch, a seborrheic keratosis and a flat wart can look alike to the person they belong to and behave nothing alike under a laser. Deciding which is which is specialist work, and everything downstream of it is only as good as that decision.
It also shows up in what is declined. The clinic's stated approach is to treat the root problem without overtreatment or unnecessary procedures, which is a judgment about your skin rather than about the appointment.
How to ask any clinic this
The question is not rude and it does not need softening. Ask for the treating doctor's name and specialty, ask where they trained, and ask whether they will perform the treatment themselves.
A clinic that publishes those answers before you ask has already made the point. AUVEL Clinic lists both doctors' training records on the site rather than producing them on request.
AUVEL Clinic is on the 12th floor at 138 Dosan-daero in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, one minute from Sinsa Station Exit 1. The clinic is registered under Korea's Medical Service Act to treat foreign patients, and English questions are handled over WhatsApp.
- Ask for the treating doctor's name and specialty
- Ask where they completed residency
- Ask whether they perform the treatment or supervise it
- English questions and booking: WhatsApp +82 10-5924-4401 · Clinic line +82 2-548-5007
Inside AUVEL Clinic, Gangnam
The diagnosis happens here, before any device is chosen. That is where the specialty shows. 
Two dermatologists is what makes one-to-one treatment workable across a full appointment book. 
Both training records are published on the site rather than produced on request.
Swipe or scroll sideways to see more. Photographed at AUVEL Clinic, 138 Dosan-daero, Gangnam-gu, Seoul.
Frequently asked questions
Is the doctor a board-certified dermatologist?
At AUVEL Clinic both doctors are board-certified dermatologists — Dr. Ko Young-wook, Medical Director, and Dr. Song Chang-hwa, Director. Every treatment is performed one-to-one directly by one of them.
What is the difference between a licensed doctor and a dermatologist?
A medical licence follows medical school; a specialist qualification follows residency training in one field. Both are real qualifications, but only the second is specific to skin — and the diagnosis behind a treatment is specialist work.
Where did the doctors train?
Both are honours graduates of Hanyang University College of Medicine and completed their internship and dermatology residency at Hanyang University Hospital. Dr. Song also holds a master's degree in dermatology from Hanyang University.
Will the doctor perform my treatment personally?
Yes. The stated arrangement is that every treatment is performed one-to-one directly by a board-certified dermatologist, rather than designed by one and delegated.
Which professional societies are they members of?
The Korean Dermatological Association, the Korean Association of Dermatologists, the Korean Society for Clinical Dermatologic Treatment and the Korean Society for Skin Anti-aging.
How should I ask another clinic this question?
Ask for the treating doctor's name and specialty, where they completed residency, and whether they perform the treatment themselves. All three are ordinary questions with checkable answers.
This article is general information about a dermatological procedure and is not a diagnosis, a treatment recommendation, or a promise of any particular outcome. Results, sensation and recovery differ between individuals. Please consult a board-certified dermatologist about your own skin before deciding on treatment. AUVEL CLINIC, 12F, 138 Dosan-daero, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea.