Getting Sick in Korea: Pharmacies, Night Options and ERs (2026)

Q: Who do I call about infectious diseases?

The KDCA call center, 1339, answers 24 hours a day. From abroad, call +82-2-2633-1339.

Checked against official sources on October 20, 2026

Inside a Korean pharmacy, with the dispensing counter marked 조제실

Summary

For minor illness in Korea, go to a pharmacy, marked 약국 (yakguk). At night or on holidays, find an open one on the Holiday Pharmacy (휴일지킴이약국) site, E-Gen, or by calling 119. Convenience stores open 24 hours sell a short list of household medicines, one pack at a time. For emergencies call 119; the ambulance is free. As of October 2026, narcotic or psychotropic medicines you bring for yourself need approval from Korea's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety before you arrive.

At a glance

Emergency: Call 119 (ambulance free)
Minor illness: Go to a pharmacy
Night or holiday: Holiday Pharmacy site, E-Gen or 119
24-hour stores: 13 designated, about 11 on sale
English help: Call 119, say English please
Own medicine: Controlled drugs need approval first

Korean for this

약국 어디 있어요?
yakguk eodi isseoyo?
Where is a pharmacy?
구급차 불러 주세요
gugeupcha bulleo juseyo
Please call an ambulance
처음 왔어요
cheoeum wasseoyo
It's my first visit
여기가 아파요
yeogiga apayo
It hurts here
감기약 주세요
gamgiyak juseyo
Cold medicine, please
진통제 주세요
jintongje juseyo
Painkillers, please

All Korean phrases

Details

Most travel illnesses in Korea start and end at a pharmacy. This guide shows how to find one, including late at night, what convenience stores can sell you, when an emergency room is the right place, and the rules for bringing your own medicine. It is practical travel information, not medical advice. In an emergency, call 119.

Before you start

Passport. Clinics and hospitals ask for ID when you register.
Travel insurance details, including the insurer's 24-hour assistance number.
A list of your medicines by ingredient name, not brand name. Brand names differ between countries.
Allergies and conditions written down, in English and, if you can, in Korean.
A translation app and the 1330 travel hotline number; ask them what help they can give (see getting help in your language).

Two phrases help: 약국이 어디예요?yakgugi eodiyeyo?Where is a pharmacy? and 영어 하시는 분 있어요?yeongeo hasineun bun isseoyo?Does anyone here speak English?

Step by step

Step 1 — Decide where to go

Situation	Where to go
Life-threatening: trouble breathing, chest pain, heavy bleeding, collapse	Call 119
Minor: cold, headache, upset stomach, small cuts	약국yakgukPharmacy
Late night, no pharmacy open, basic medicine needed	A convenience store open 24 hours
Not an emergency, but you need a diagnosis or prescription medicine	A local clinic or hospital outpatient department
Unsure how serious it is	Call 119 for medical advice

119's emergency medical call center gives first-aid guidance, health advice and information on hospitals and clinics, 24 hours a day.

Step 2 — Find a pharmacy

Look for the sign 약국yakgukPharmacy, often with a large 약yakMedicine character. In a map app, search for 약국. See our map apps guide.

The government's E-Gen site (e-gen.or.kr) has a pharmacy search with opening hours. The hours come from the Korean Pharmaceutical Association, and E-Gen advises calling the pharmacy before you go.

Tell the pharmacist your symptoms simply, or show them on your phone. Ask how often to take the medicine and whether it causes drowsiness.

Step 3 — At night or on a public holiday

Many pharmacies close at night and on public holidays. You have three official ways to find an open one:

the Holiday Pharmacy site, 휴일지킴이약국hyuil jikimi yakgukHoliday duty pharmacy (pharm114.or.kr), run by the Korean Pharmaceutical Association
E-Gen, which can list pharmacies open after 22:00
119, which can tell you which pharmacies and hospitals are open

Korea also has government-supported public late-night pharmacies (공공심야약국gonggong simya yakgukPublic late-night pharmacy). About 240 were operating nationwide in July 2026, according to Ministry of Health and Welfare figures reported in the trade press. Hours vary, so check before you go.

Step 4 — Convenience-store medicines

Convenience stores open 24 hours a day, every day, may sell household medicines designated by the Ministry of Health and Welfare (안전상비의약품anjeon sangbi uiyakpumHousehold safety medicines). Thirteen items were designated in 2012. Press reports in 2025 and 2026 say two of them are no longer made, so about 11 are on sale. The designated list is:

pain and fever: Tylenol 500 mg, Tylenol 160 mg (no longer made), Children's Tylenol 80 mg (no longer made), Children's Tylenol suspension, Children's Brufen syrup
cold: Pancold A, Panpyrin T
digestion: Bearse, Dr. Bearse, Festal Gold, Festal Plus
pain patches: Sinsin Pas Arex, Jeil Cool Pap

The rules: one pack of each medicine per sale, and no sales to children under 12. Ask the cashier if you cannot see them on the shelf.

Step 5 — Going to an emergency room

Look for 응급실eunggeupsilEmergency room. E-Gen also has an ER search. Korea has three levels of emergency care: regional emergency medical centers, local emergency medical centers and local emergency medical institutions. The largest centers focus on severe cases and may send mild cases elsewhere.

If it is a real emergency, call 119 rather than going yourself. Paramedics can direct you to a hospital that can take you. The 119 ambulance is free for emergencies anywhere in Korea. Hospital transfers that are not emergencies use private ambulances, which charge a fee.

Mild cases at large emergency centers cost more. Since 13 September 2024, insured patients with mild, non-emergency conditions at regional and local emergency centers pay 90% of the cost themselves. Without Korean national health insurance, you pay the bill yourself and claim from your travel insurer.

Step 6 — Collect paperwork for your insurer

Before you leave a hospital or clinic, ask for:

영수증yeongsujeungReceipt
진료비 세부내역서jinryobi sebu naeyeokseoItemized bill
진단서jindanseoMedical certificate, if your insurer needs a diagnosis

Hospitals may charge a fee for certificates. Requesting them later from abroad is much harder.

Your options at a glance

Option	Hours	Cost (as of October 2026)
Pharmacy	Daytime and evening; some open late	Pay for the medicine
Holiday or public late-night pharmacy	Nights and holidays; varies	Pay for the medicine
Convenience store (24-hour)	24 hours	Pay for the medicine; designated items only
119 medical advice	24 hours	Free call
119 ambulance	24 hours	Free in emergencies
Emergency room	24 hours	You pay; higher for mild cases at large centers

Bringing your own medicine into Korea

Narcotic and psychotropic medicines need approval before you travel. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) says anyone entering Korea with controlled medicine for personal treatment needs its approval, whatever their nationality. Applications have been online since 27 December 2024. Contact the MFDS Narcotics Policy Division (+82-43-719-2813) or the MFDS customer center (1577-1255, 09:00–18:00, closed on holidays).
Some medicines are controlled in Korea but not at home. A Korea Herald report in August 2026 noted that dextromethorphan, a common cough ingredient, is classed as psychotropic in Korea. If you are unsure about a medicine, ask MFDS before you fly.
Declare medicines that may be misused at customs. The Korea Customs Service lists them among items to declare, together with narcotics, psychotropic drugs, and cannabis and hemp products.
Carry medicine in its original packaging with a copy of your prescription or a doctor's letter in English. We found no official quantity limit for ordinary personal medicines. Bring only what your trip needs.

See arrival, immigration and customs for the full customs process.

Common problems

Calling 1339 for a medical emergency. 1339 is now the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency's infectious disease line. It stopped being a medical emergency number in 2012. Call 119.
Walking around looking for a lit pharmacy. Use the Holiday Pharmacy site, E-Gen or 119 instead.
Expecting strong medicine at a convenience store. Stores may sell only the designated household medicines.
Not knowing the ingredient name of your regular medicine. Write it down before you travel.
Leaving the hospital without documents. Ask for the receipt, itemized bill and certificate before you pay and go.

Questions and answers

Are there 24-hour pharmacies in Seoul?

Some pharmacies open late, and public late-night pharmacies stay open into the night. Hours change, so use E-Gen or the Holiday Pharmacy site, or call 119.

Can I get medical help in English?

Call 119 and say "English please" or "Interpreter please" to be connected to an interpreter. The 1330 travel hotline answers in Korean, English, Japanese and Chinese 24 hours, and in Russian, Vietnamese, Thai and Malay/Indonesian 08:00–19:00; ask whether they can help with a medical conversation. See getting help in your language.