K-Style Trip
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Korea Travel Guide for International Fans
HealthJuly 27, 2026

If you get ill: pharmacies, clinics, insurance

  • For something minor, start at a pharmacy. Look for the green cross; most stay open into the evening on weekdays.
  • Fewer open at weekends and late at night. Convenience stores carry a limited range — fever, indigestion and some cold medicine.
  • For a doctor, a neighbourhood clinic is fastest. Your passport is enough, and as a visitor you pay the uninsured fee on the spot.
  • For emergencies, call 119 or go straight to an emergency room. Nobody asks about your nationality or insurance first.
  • Travel insurance has to be bought before you leave. Keep the receipt and the doctor's note; you claim after you get home.
  • 1339 and 1330 both take calls in English, Japanese and Chinese. They will tell you which hospital to go to.
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