How to buy medicine at a pharmacy in Korea

Spotting a pharmacy

A pharmacy in Korea is called 약국 (yak-guk). Look for the character 약 (yak, "medicine") in large letters, usually white on green or red, often with a green cross. Pharmacies cluster around hospitals, clinics, subway exits and busy shopping streets; in a building with several clinics, the pharmacy is usually on the ground floor. Most are small: one room, a counter, and a licensed pharmacist behind it who does all the selling.

Two places are easy to confuse with a pharmacy. Health-and-beauty chains such as Olive Young sell cosmetics, vitamins and plasters but no medicine, because there is no pharmacist. Convenience stores sell a short fixed list of basic medicines, but for anything else you need a 약국.

Every pharmacy has a pharmacist. By law a licensed pharmacist must be present whenever medicine is sold. For a traveller that is good news: the person at the counter is qualified to recommend something for common symptoms, and you do not need a doctor for over-the-counter medicine.

Find a pharmacy open now on the map

At the counter

Almost everything is behind the counter; there is no self-service aisle for medicine. Walk up and describe the symptom, not the product. Pharmacists in tourist areas usually understand simple English such as "headache", "cold", "stomach", "allergy" or "diarrhoea". If not, every pharmacy page on this site has Korean sentence cards you can show on your phone: tap one and it fills the screen.

The pharmacist will usually offer one or two options and explain how often to take them. Ask "How many per day?" and hold up fingers if needed; they will often write the dose on the box in numbers. If you take other medication or are pregnant, say so before they choose. The phrase cards cover both.

• If you know the generic name (acetaminophen, ibuprofen, loratadine, loperamide), say it. Generic names are widely understood; brand names from home usually are not
• Show the empty box or a photo of what you take at home. Ingredient lists on Korean packaging are usually printed in English or Latin as well
• Ask for the smallest pack. Korean over-the-counter medicine is often sold in blister packs of a few days’ supply rather than bottles of a hundred, at a price the pharmacy sets itself
• Prescription medicines are dispensed at the same counter, so there may be a short wait behind people with prescriptions

Korean phrases to show at the counter

What you can buy without a prescription

Korea splits medicines into over-the-counter (일반의약품) and prescription-only (전문의약품). Over the counter you can get the everyday things: painkillers and fever reducers, cold and cough remedies, antihistamines for allergies, antacids and digestive aids, anti-diarrhoeals, motion-sickness tablets, antiseptics, plasters, medicated patches for muscle pain, and some ointments including a basic antibiotic ointment.

Antibiotics, most sleeping aids, strong painkillers and emergency contraception are prescription-only in Korea, even if you can buy them freely at home. A pharmacist cannot sell them without a Korean prescription.

Prescription vs over-the-counter, in detail

English to Korean glossary of common medicines

Paying

Credit and debit cards are accepted almost everywhere, including foreign Visa and Mastercard, and contactless works at most newer terminals. Apple Pay is accepted only at some terminals, Google Pay is not, and Korean mobile wallets need a Korean account. Cash is always fine and there is no tipping. A common cold remedy or pain reliever costs a few thousand won, and there is no fee for the pharmacist’s advice.

Medicine is not eligible for the tourist tax refund; pharmacies are not tax-free shops. If you need a receipt for travel insurance, ask for it at the moment you pay.

Getting a receipt for travel insurance

Reading the box

Packaging is in Korean, but a few patterns cover most of it, and numbers are Arabic numerals, so the dose is usually readable even when the words are not. Pharmacies also often hand you the tablets in a small paper pouch with the directions written on it rather than the retail box.

Doses in Korea are sometimes lower than you are used to, and many cold remedies are combination products that already contain acetaminophen. When in doubt, follow the pharmacist rather than the habit from home.

If the pharmacy is closed

Most pharmacies keep office-like hours and many close on Sunday. Late at night your options are a late-night or 24-hour pharmacy, or the small set of medicines sold in convenience stores.

Call before a long trip. Registered hours do not capture lunch breaks, staff shortages or a pharmacist who left early on a slow evening. If you are about to take a taxi across town, call first. The number is on every pharmacy page and works from a foreign SIM in international format.

Finding a 24-hour or late-night pharmacy

Medicines you can buy at a convenience store