Seeing a doctor in Seoul: walk-in clinics, big hospitals and getting help in English

Forget booking a GP three days out. In Seoul you walk into a specialist clinic, see a doctor in half an hour and pick up your pills downstairs.

The short version

• Korea runs on three tiers: neighbourhood clinics, hospitals and general hospitals, then big tertiary university hospitals. You normally need a referral to go straight to the top tier [1].
• Most clinics take walk-ins. There's no GP gatekeeper, so you choose the specialist yourself: ENT for a cold, dermatology for a rash, orthopaedics for a dodgy knee.
• Major university hospitals run international healthcare centres with English-speaking coordinators, such as the one at Seoul National University Hospital [2].
• In an emergency, call 119 for an ambulance. Interpreters are available in English, and ambulances are free [3].
• Strong medicines from home, especially ADHD drugs and some painkillers, may need a Korean import permit before you fly [4].

How Korean healthcare is set up

The big difference from Australia: there's no GP sitting between you and a specialist. Korea's system has three levels [1].

Exceptions to the referral rule include emergencies, childbirth, dentistry, rehabilitation medicine and family medicine [1]. That family medicine exception is useful. A gajeong uihakgwa (family medicine) clinic is the closest thing Seoul has to an Australian GP.

Pick your specialist yourself

Clinic signs list the specialty in Korean, and many add English. Learn a few:

• Naegwa: internal medicine, for general illness, blood tests and chronic conditions
• Ibinhugwa: ear, nose and throat, the go-to for colds, sinus trouble and sore throats
• Pibugwa: dermatology
• Jeonghyeongoegwa: orthopaedics
• Sanbuingwa: obstetrics and gynaecology
• Soagwa: paediatrics
• Gajeong uihakgwa: family medicine

Clinics cluster in medical buildings near subway stations, often with a pharmacy on the ground floor. Expect short consults. Doctors are thorough with tests and quick with conversation, so bring your questions written down.

Your first visit, step by step

1. Find a clinic. Naver Map and Kakao Map both list clinics with hours and specialties. Search the Korean specialty name plus your suburb, such as Itaewon or Mapo.
2. Bring your ID. Take your Alien Registration Card (or passport if you're new) and your National Health Insurance card or number. Foreigners who stay more than six months are generally enrolled in the National Health Insurance Service and get the same benefits as Koreans [1].
3. Register at the front desk. You'll fill in a short form. Staff at central clinics often manage basic English. If not, call 1330 for interpretation (see below).
4. See the doctor. Waiting times are usually short, but mornings and Saturday mornings get busy.
5. Pay at the desk. You pay your share on the way out. Insured patients pay a co-payment; uninsured patients pay the full fee. Ask for an English receipt if you plan to claim on travel or international insurance.
6. Fill your script. You get a paper prescription to take to any pharmacy, usually the one downstairs. The pharmacist hands over your pills, often pre-sorted into packets by dose.

Pharmacies on weekends

Pharmacies (yakguk) are everywhere, but most close on Sundays and public holidays. A rotating roster of holiday pharmacies stays open, listed on a Korean-language site, pharm114.or.kr [1]. Convenience stores also sell a small range of basic over-the-counter medicines such as paracetamol and cold remedies.

English-speaking help: international healthcare centres

Most big university hospitals in Seoul have an international healthcare centre (IHC). These offices book appointments, arrange interpreters, explain costs and deal with insurers. They're aimed at foreign residents and medical tourists.

Seoul National University Hospital's IHC is a good example of what to expect [2]:

• It's on the second floor of the main building at 101 Daehak-ro, Jongno-gu, near Hyehwa Station (Line 4, Exit 3).
• It offers primary care and follow-up for chronic conditions, check-ups, vaccinations and travel consultations.
• Interpretation is available in English and several other languages, plus case management and coordination of cashless billing with embassies and international insurers.
• The office runs Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5:30 pm. English bookings go through +82 2 2072 0505 or international@snuh.org.

Other big hospitals with international centres include Severance (Sinchon), Samsung Medical Center (Irwon), Asan Medical Center (Songpa) and Seoul St Mary's (Seocho). Expect to pay more at an IHC than at a neighbourhood clinic, and to wait longer for a non-urgent appointment. For a cold, the clinic around the corner is fine. For a complicated diagnosis, surgery or anything where you need every word in English, the IHC is worth it.

Free medical referrals from the city

The Seoul Global Center runs a Medical Referral Service for foreign residents. English-speaking staff suggest suitable hospitals and clinics. You can reach it at medicalreferral@seoul.go.kr [3].

Emergencies and the numbers to save

Save these numbers in your phone before you need them.

The UK government notes that 1330 runs from 7 am to midnight and can join you to a three-way call with emergency services [5]. That's handy when you're trying to explain chest pain to a triage nurse in your third week of Korean lessons.

Don't use the emergency room for a cold

Big hospital emergency rooms in Seoul are busy, and the government has been pushing mild cases elsewhere. In August 2024 the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced plans to raise the patient share of emergency room costs to 90% for non-emergency and mild patients at major emergency centres [7]. Unless it's serious, go to a clinic, or a smaller hospital's emergency department after hours.

The Australian embassy

The Australian Embassy is on the 19th floor of the Kyobo Building, 1 Jong-ro, Jongno-gu, phone +82 2 2003 0100 [6]. Consular staff can help if you're seriously ill or hospitalised, contact family at home and give you information on local doctors. They can't pay your hospital bill. That's what insurance is for.

Bringing Australian medication into Korea

Korea is strict on controlled substances. Since 2009, anyone bringing medicines containing narcotics or psychotropic substances into Korea, whatever their nationality, needs approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) [4].

1. Check what's in your medicine. ADHD stimulants, strong opioid painkillers, some sleeping tablets and some anxiety medicines can fall into the controlled category. Ask your Australian GP or pharmacist for the generic names.
2. Apply to the MFDS. Email the application and supporting documents to narcotics@korea.kr or fax +82 43 719 2800. The MFDS says it replies within 10 business days [4].
3. Apply early. Allow several weeks, not days. Don't fly with the medicine until you have the approval.
4. Carry a doctor's letter. Keep it in English, with the generic name, dose and why you take it, alongside the medicine in its original packaging.
5. Plan a Korean prescription. For long-term medicines, book a Korean doctor early so you can get a local prescription before your supply from home runs out.

Everyday prescription medicines such as blood pressure tablets or the pill aren't controlled substances. Still, bring them in original packaging with your script or a doctor's letter. Smartraveller's South Korea page has the Australian government's general advice on medicines and health, so check it before you go.

The Australian angle: what's different from home

• No Medicare, and no reciprocal agreement. Australia doesn't have a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement with South Korea, so Medicare won't cover you there. Once you're a long-term resident, Korea's National Health Insurance is your main cover. Before then, travel or international health insurance fills the gap.
• No bulk billing. Even with Korean insurance you pay a co-payment at every visit. The upside is that clinic visits are generally cheap by Australian standards.
• Walk-in specialists. You don't need a GP referral to see a dermatologist or ENT. You do need to decide which specialist you need.
• Medicines come in packets. Korean pharmacists often hand over a strip of daily sachets instead of a box. Ask for the names of the drugs inside if you need them for later.
• Your Australian records won't follow you. Bring a short summary of your history, allergies and current prescriptions, ideally in English and Korean.

The fastest way to find a doctor who speaks good English in your neighbourhood is to ask people who've been. Join Cooee South Korea, our Facebook group for Australians in South Korea, where members swap names of clinics, dentists and paediatricians that work well for Aussies.

Sources

1. KOTRA Invest Korea Ombudsman: Medical Care System in Korea
2. Seoul National University Hospital: International Healthcare Center brochure
3. Seongbuk-gu Office (Seoul): Medical service and emergency numbers for foreigners
4. Ministry of Food and Drug Safety: Permit for bringing controlled medicines into Korea
5. GOV.UK: South Korea travel advice, getting help
6. Australian Embassy in the Republic of Korea
7. Asia Economy: Non-emergency ER patients to bear 90% of fees

Keep reading

• Korea's National Health Insurance: compulsory cover for Australians
• Moving to Seoul from Australia: the complete guide
• Medicare when you live abroad
• Private health insurance when you move overseas