← 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.