Emergency Room in Korea: When to Call 119, Costs, What to Bring

• Save 119 and 1330 in your phone. 1330 is the Korea Travel Hotline.
• Know your location. Say the name of your hotel or the nearest station or building. A map app shows your address.
• Keep ID and insurance details together: passport, policy number and the insurer's 24-hour assistance number.
• Keep a note of your medicines and allergies by ingredient name.

Call 119 for fire, ambulance and rescue, including medical emergencies such as trouble breathing, chest pain, heavy bleeding or collapse. If you are not sure how serious it is, you can still call and ask for medical advice. If it is a real emergency, call 119 rather than going yourself. Paramedics can direct you to a hospital that can take you.

• Language: Say "English please" or "Interpreter please" when the call connects. The operator links you to a professional interpreter. A Seoul district government page says 119 interpretation covers English, Chinese, Japanese, Mongolian and Vietnamese.
• Cost: 119, free in emergencies, anywhere in Korea. The ambulance does not charge by distance or number of patients, but it is only for emergencies. The sources make no exception for visitors.
• Private ambulances charge a fee. Moving between regions or between medical facilities when it is not an emergency means using a licensed private or hospital ambulance. Fees vary by operator and ambulance type. Ask the price before you agree.

Only designated institutions may use emergency names. Easy Law lists these levels:

• 권역응급의료센터gwonyeok eunggeup uiryo senteoRegional emergency medical center — Designated tertiary or general hospitals for severe emergency patients.
• 전문응급의료센터jeonmun eunggeup uiryo senteoSpecialized emergency medical center — Children, burns and poisoning.
• 지역응급의료센터jiyeok eunggeup uiryo senteoLocal emergency medical center — General hospitals designated for emergency care.
• 지역응급의료기관jiyeok eunggeup uiryo gigwanLocal emergency medical institution — General hospitals designated by the city, county or district head.
• 외상센터oesang senteoTrauma center — Regional and local trauma care.

Emergency institutions must be able to treat patients 24 hours a day. The largest centers focus on severe cases.

1. Register at the emergency room reception.
2. Triage. Staff assess how urgent your condition is. Korea uses the Korean Triage and Acuity Scale (KTAS). The government describes levels 4 and 5 as minor and non-emergency. More urgent patients are seen first, so a mild case may wait.
3. Examination and treatment, then payment at the cashier. Ask for your papers before you leave (see below).

Easy Law says only emergency patients, emergency medical staff and a necessary guardian may enter the ER. Only a necessary guardian may enter with the patient, so friends may need to wait outside.

• You pay at the hospital. Without Korean national health insurance you pay the bill yourself and claim from your travel insurer. See medical costs and insurance.
• Mild cases cost more at big centers. According to news reports of a Ministry of Health and Welfare rule change, insured patients with minor, non-emergency conditions at regional and local emergency centers have paid 90% of the cost themselves since 13 September 2024. The Ministry announced the plan on 22 August 2024 for KTAS 4 and 5 patients. The sources do not say how the rule applies to uninsured visitors. Ask the cashier for the cost before treatment if you are not in an emergency.
• Insurers want paperwork. Ask for the receipt, the itemized bill and, if needed, a medical certificate.

• E-Gen emergency room search (e-gen.or.kr, the National Emergency Medical Center): filter by type of institution, region and radius of 1 to 10 km, and sort by distance or by whether the ER is treating. The site has an English version.
• E-Gen pharmacy search and the Holiday Pharmacy site (휴일지킴이약국hyuil jikimi yakgukHoliday duty pharmacy, pharm114.or.kr) show pharmacies open at night and on holidays. See pharmacy and hospital.
• 119 can tell you which hospitals and pharmacies are open, 24 hours a day.
• For a minor problem at night, an ER is not the only place to look. A late-night pharmacy or a clinic open on the day may do. Check them before you travel across town.

Do not call 1339 for a medical emergency. It is the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency's infectious disease line.

• Passport or a photo of it
• Travel insurance details
• Your phone and charger
• A card that works abroad
• Your medicine and allergy list
• A translation app (see medical interpretation)

• Calling the wrong number. Use 119 for emergencies. 1330 is for travel help, and 1339 is for infectious disease.
• Going to a large center for a mild problem. It may cost more and you may wait longer.
• Using a private ambulance without asking the fee. Ask first.
• Leaving without papers. Ask for them before you leave.