Pharmacy, clinic or emergency room? Choosing in Korea

Start with what the pharmacy is for

In Korea the pharmacy sits at one end of a fixed path. Over-the-counter medicines (일반의약품) can be bought there without any prescription. Prescription-only medicines (전문의약품) can be handed over only against a prescription written by a doctor or dentist, and the law that sets this out also sets a penalty for selling them without one. So the question to ask yourself is not ‘is this serious?’ but ‘could an over-the-counter medicine and a pharmacist’s advice be enough?’

A handful of the most common over-the-counter products are also sold at registered convenience stores and supermarkets, which helps late at night. A pharmacist is still the better first stop when one is open: they can ask what else you take and suggest something the convenience store does not carry.

What convenience stores can sell

Signs that the pharmacy is the wrong first stop

A headache is the classic pharmacy complaint, and most are not dangerous. The National Emergency Medical Center lists the kinds that call for medical attention instead: a sudden, severe headache unlike any before; a headache with a change in alertness; one that comes with vomiting; a new headache starting after the age of fifty; one that keeps getting worse; one set off by exertion, coughing or sneezing; and one that comes with fever, a rash or a stiff neck.

Stomach upsets are the other common traveller complaint. The same agency’s advice for travellers is that most diarrhoea settles by itself within two or three days, and that it is time to see a doctor when it goes on for more than three days with frequent watery stools, or comes with blood in the stool, repeated vomiting or a fever. It also advises deciding on anti-diarrhoea medicine together with a doctor.

Some situations skip this whole page. As our emergency guide explains, chest pain, trouble breathing, signs of a stroke, heavy bleeding or a serious injury are for 119, not for a pharmacy or a clinic queue.

Emergencies: 119 and hospital emergency rooms

The middle option: a local clinic

Between the counter and the emergency room is the neighbourhood clinic (의원). It is where you go when something needs examining or needs a medicine only a doctor can prescribe, but is not an emergency. The clinic writes the prescription and a pharmacy fills it. That split is the normal Korean route, not a workaround.

• A symptom that has not improved after a few days of over-the-counter treatment
• Anything the pharmacist tells you needs a doctor
• A repeat of a medicine you take at home that is prescription-only in Korea
• A symptom on the warning lists above that is not an emergency but still needs examining

Getting a prescription as a visitor

What to have with you

Whichever door you choose, the same few things save time. E-Gen’s advice for travellers is to carry prescription medicines with a doctor-signed certificate stating they are for your own use, and notes that a prescription or diagnosis written in English also helps. Beyond that, bring the medicines you are already taking in their original packs, a note of allergies and long-term conditions, and the Korean address of where you are staying.

• Your passport or other photo ID
• The packs or a photo of anything you have taken in the last day
• Your travel insurance details if you expect to claim
• The Korean name of the pharmacy or clinic, to show a taxi driver

Getting the conversation across

Writing the symptom and the ingredient down, in English and Korean, is often easier than explaining aloud across a counter. Our Korean phrase cards cover the common symptoms and questions, and every pharmacy page on this site can show them in large type. When a phone call is needed, the 1330 Korea Travel Helpline offers interpretation for visitors.

Korean phrases to show at the counter

Matching your usual medicine by ingredient

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