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. It's worth asking because a medical license and a specialist qualification are different things, and only the specialist qualification 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, honors 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
What the question is really asking
A medical license and a specialist qualification are different things. The first means someone completed medical school and is licensed to practice; the second means they went on to complete residency training in one field and were certified in it. Both are real qualifications. Only the second 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. A device works the same way in anyone's hands.
So a better question than whether a doctor is involved is this: did the person deciding what your marks are, and what to do about them, train in dermatology?
Dr. Ko Young-wook, Medical Director
An honors graduate of Hanyang University College of Medicine, with his internship and dermatology residency both completed at Hanyang University Hospital.
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.
Beyond the training record there is a manufacturer's credential. DEKA in Italy, which makes the ONDA device, designates him an ONDA LIFTING Expert Member, a role that involves teaching the technique to other physicians. In June 2025 he presented “Facial Contouring by ONDA Lifting” at #OnlyByDEKA in Bangkok, held alongside the IMCAS Asia congress.
- Honors graduate, Hanyang University College of Medicine
- Internship and dermatology residency, Hanyang University Hospital
- ONDA LIFTING Expert Member, designated by DEKA (Italy)
- Speaker, #OnlyByDEKA Bangkok during IMCAS Asia week, 2025
- Former Head of Dermatology, ROK Armed Forces Pocheon Hospital
Dr. Song Chang-hwa, Director
Also an honors 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.
Having two dermatologists is also practical. It's what makes one-to-one specialist treatment workable across a full appointment book.
- Honors 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. The doctor doesn't plan it and hand it off, or supervise from another room.
You see this most clearly in 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. Telling them apart is specialist work, and the rest of the treatment depends on getting it right.
It also shows in what gets declined. The clinic's stated approach is to treat the root problem without overtreatment or unnecessary procedures, and that call is made on your skin.
How to ask any clinic this
It isn't a rude question, and you don't need to soften it. Ask for the treating doctor's name and specialty, ask where they trained, and ask whether they will perform the treatment themselves.
Some clinics publish those answers before you ask. AUVEL Clinic lists both doctors' training records on the site.
AUVEL Clinic is on the 12th floor at 138 Dosan-daero in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, one minute from Sinsa Station Exit 1. 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
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 license follows medical school; a specialist qualification follows residency training in one field. Both are real qualifications, but only the second is specific to skin. The diagnosis behind a treatment is specialist work.
Where did the doctors train?
Both are honors 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, not planned by one and handed off to someone else.
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.