Do you need a prescription in Korea? Prescription vs OTC

The system in one paragraph

Every medicine in Korea is classed either as over-the-counter (일반의약품) or prescription-only (전문의약품). Doctors prescribe and pharmacists dispense, and the two jobs are kept apart (의약분업). By law a pharmacist may hand over a prescription-only medicine only against a doctor’s or dentist’s prescription, however routine it is for you at home. In practice that means a doctor in Korea: bring your prescription from home as a record, not as something a Korean pharmacy will fill. For over-the-counter medicine the pharmacist is the gatekeeper and can sell you anything on the list after a short conversation.

Over the counter: just ask

• Pain and fever: acetaminophen, ibuprofen, naproxen, aspirin, pain patches
• Cold and allergy: combination cold remedies, decongestants combined with an antihistamine such as Actifed, antihistamines such as cetirizine, loratadine and fexofenadine
• Stomach: antacids, digestive enzymes, loperamide for diarrhoea, laxatives, motion-sickness tablets
• Skin and first aid: antiseptic, bite creams, mild hydrocortisone cream, antifungal cream, burn ointment, a basic antibiotic ointment, plasters
• Eyes: artificial tears and mild eye drops
• Regular oral contraceptive pills (사전피임약), over the counter unlike in many countries
• Nicotine patches and gum

Glossary with Korean names and brands

Prescription only: you need a doctor

• Antibiotic tablets and capsules
• Emergency contraception (사후피임약)
• Prescription sleeping pills such as zolpidem, and anti-anxiety medication. Melatonin is prescription-only in Korea even though it is a supplement in many countries. A few antihistamine-based sleep aids are sold over the counter
• Strong painkillers such as tramadol, and cough medicines containing codeine
• Asthma inhalers, including salbutamol (Ventolin)
• Single-ingredient pseudoephedrine tablets (Sudafed)
• Blood-pressure, diabetes, thyroid, cholesterol and other maintenance medicines
• ADHD medication, antidepressants, and most other long-term medication
• Most steroid tablets and stronger steroid creams

Bring enough of your own medication. If you take something on this list daily, carry your full supply plus a few days’ margin, in the original packaging, with a copy of your prescription. Do not count on a Korean pharmacy filling a prescription written abroad. Getting a Korean one is possible, but it takes a clinic visit.

Getting a prescription as a visitor

1. Walk into a clinic (의원) or hospital. No appointment is needed at most clinics; bring your passport
2. Without Korean health insurance you pay the full, uninsured price, so keep every receipt
3. The doctor prints a prescription (처방전), normally two copies. It states how long it can be used, so fill it promptly
4. Take it to any pharmacy. The one nearest the clinic is the most likely to stock what that clinic prescribes. Without insurance you pay the full medicine price
5. Ask for an itemised receipt if you plan to claim on travel insurance

Many large hospitals have international clinics with English-speaking staff. For a simple refill, a neighbourhood clinic with a translation app is often faster. Bring the box or a photo showing the generic name and dose.

Receipts for travel insurance

Bringing medicine into Korea

Medicine that contains a narcotic needs a permit from Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety before you travel. The Korean embassies publish the guideline and forms: a doctor’s letter, a valid prescription, a passport copy and your flight details, sent in advance. Korean law also counts every product made from cannabis, including CBD, as cannabis. If you take a strong opioid, an ADHD stimulant or an anxiety medicine, check with the ministry or a Korean embassy before flying whether it falls under these rules; a pharmacy cannot sort this out after you arrive. For other medicines, carry them in the original packaging with a copy of your prescription.

What the pharmacist can do for you

Quite a lot. Recommend and sell an OTC product for the symptom you describe, check that it does not clash with medication you show them, explain the dose and write it on the box, and tell you when a symptom needs a doctor rather than a tablet. The advice is free and is the normal way Koreans handle minor illness. Use it.

Pharmacists do not diagnose. If a symptom is severe, has lasted several days, or involves a child, they will send you to a doctor, and they are right to.

Find a pharmacy open now

If it cannot wait: emergencies and hotlines