South Korea is one of Asia’s most dynamic fitness markets, blending a strong health and wellness culture with cutting-edge technology. Driven by urban lifestyles, social media influence, and a growing focus on preventive health, South Korea offers significant opportunities for fitness operators and software companies supporting health and fitness businesses, gyms, yoga and Pilates studios.

South Korea at a glance

• Market size: USD 4.75 billion (KRW 6.38 trillion) in 2025, projected to reach USD 7.64 billion (KRW 10.26 trillion) by 2030 (CAGR 9.96%) (statista.com, accessed Sep 2025).
  
  
• Fitness centres: ~11,100 registered gyms nationwide (statista.com, accessed Sep 2025)
  
  
• Key drivers:
  • An aging population and a strong focus on preventive healthcare, with the sector valued at 24.29 billion USD (or 35.9 trillion Won) (Statista.com, 2025)
    
    
  • Strong cultural emphasis on appearance and wellness
    
    
  • Government initiatives like National Fitness 100
    
    
  •  “Nearly universal” smartphone penetration (97%) and digital integration (Statista.com, 2025)
    
    
  • Complicated financial and regulatory environment
    
    

Who’s going to the gym in South Korea?

• Millennials and Gen Z dominate memberships, driven by aesthetics and social media trends.
  
  
• Seniors are increasingly joining gyms for health maintenance, creating demand for age-appropriate programs.
  
  
• Women-only fitness centres and boutique studios are gaining traction (koreaherald.com, accessed Sep 2025).
  
  

The current fitness landscape

• Major chains: Anytime Fitness Korea, Bodyfriend, Holic Fitness, Curves Korea (koreaherald.com, accessed Sep 2025).
  
  
• Boutique boom: Studios like F45, FS8, and ButFit Seoul are thriving, offering HIIT, Pilates, and functional training. Boutique fitness emphasises community and structured workouts – with high retention rates across the board. (koreatimes.co.kr, accessed Sep 2025).

Regulatory challenges

 South Korea’s recent legislation requires Payment service providers (PSPs) to notify customers of any pricing changes, especially when free trials convert to paid plans, and to provide digital receipts unless the customer opts out.

Opportunities and challenges in South Korea

Below is an overview of the key opportunities and challenges shaping the market.

• Boutique fitness growth: Despite closures of traditional gyms, boutique studios are expanding rapidly.
  
  
• Corporate wellness: Rising demand for employee wellness programs in the tech and finance sectors.
  
  
• Digital wallet payments:
  • 95% smartphone penetration; digital wallets like Kakao Pay, Naver Pay, and Samsung Pay dominate.
    
    
  • Digital wallets accounted for 27% of transactions in 2023, projected to hit 42% by 2027 (koreabizwire.com, accessed Sep 2025).

Challenges

• Gym closures: 553 gyms shut down in 2024 due to price wars and prepaid membership fraud (koreaherald.com, accessed Sep 2025). This was in part due to gyms collecting 12 months' worth of payments (or more) up-front and then closing or going bankrupt, being unable to deliver on their promises.
  
  
• High competition: Oversupply in urban areas and aggressive discounting by large chains.
  
  
• Consumer trust issues: Prepaid scams have led to stricter scrutiny and demand for safer payment models.

Ezypay is Korea-ready

With a growing list of partner solutions and integrations, Ezypay has the right solution for every health, wellness and fitness business, including Hapana, Membr, and Xoda.

South Korea’s tech-driven fitness culture aligns perfectly with Ezypay’s ability to simplify complex payment challenges:

• Recurring billing made simple: Automate and streamline subscription payments, reducing administrative legwork and improving cash flow for your business, and reducing the inherent risk of prepaid scams.
  
  
• Solving local challenges: From managing rolling reserves to navigating compliance, Ezypay takes the complexity out of collecting payments in South Korea.
  
  
• Flexible solutions for growth: Whether you run a boutique single-site studio or a multi-location franchise, Ezypay supports your expansion with secure, scalable payment solutions – designed for health and fitness businesses of all sizes.
  
  
• Seamless integrations: Works with leading gym and wellness management platforms for a smooth, connected experience.
  
  
• Local language support: Our support team speaks the same language as your customers, improving customer service for everyone.

Source:

• https://www.statista.com/topics/11040/fitness-industry-in-south-korea/
• https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/economy/20250825/koreans-increase-spending-on-exercise-skin-care-amid-popularity-of-slow-aging-lifestyle
• https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10410590
• https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10431048
• http://koreabizwire.com/tag/kakao-pay
• http://koreabizwire.com/tag/naver-pay
• https://www.chosun.com/english/kpop-culture-en/2025/10/14/ILSCTVTQDRDAFOGOI7IBGSBDPU/