South Korea
Key Insights
- 1
No psychedelic therapy is approved for routine patient access in South Korea; the field is essentially limited to regulated esketamine use and research.
- 2
The database shows 6 trials, 1 active, 1 organisation, and only esketamine plus placebo studied; esketamine is the sole compound in an active trial.
- 3
South Korea’s standout is a 2026 recruiting multicentre esketamine TRD study across six sites, with Janssen Korea as sponsor.
- 4
Momentum is concentrated in one sponsor-led esketamine programme, suggesting the market’s near-term catalyst is clinical data, not policy liberalisation.
Reimbursed Care Access
South Korea maintains a restrictive legal regime for classical psychedelics: most serotonergic/hallucinogenic compounds (psilocybin, MDMA, DMT, 5‑MeO‑DMT, ibogaine, ayahuasca/DMT‑containing plants, mescaline, 2C‑X) are controlled under the national Narcotics Control Act and have no authorized medical use outside approved research. Esketamine is an exception — it received domestic marketing authorization and is available through regulated medical settings, while racemic/other ketamine formulations remain legal for approved medical uses (anesthesia, analgesia) and are used off‑label in private psychiatric practice for depression but generally without routine public insurance reimbursement for psychiatric indications.
Quick Indicators
Clinical Trials
Active and completed clinical trials investigating psychedelic-assisted therapies in South Korea.