For non-emergency care, use E-GEN to locate a clinic or hospital and Pharm114 to look for a pharmacy. Before travelling, call the facility to confirm that it can see you now. A map pin and a closing time do not confirm that registration is still open.
This guide helps visitors locate services and prepare questions. It does not diagnose symptoms or recommend medicines. Service links and contact roles were checked on October 21, 2026; individual opening hours must be checked when you need care.
Which number or service should you use?
| Need | Start here | What to say or check |
|---|---|---|
| Ambulance or urgent medical help | 119 within Korea | Say “English, please,” describe what happened and provide the address or a nearby landmark. |
| Open clinic, hospital or emergency department listing | E-GEN emergency medical portal | Choose the facility type and your area. Call before travelling when it is safe to do so. |
| Pharmacy search | Pharm114 / 휴일지킴이약국 | Search the neighborhood or pharmacy name; confirm current hours by phone. |
| General travel or language assistance | 1330 Korea Travel Hotline | Ask for help locating a service or communicating a practical question. For a medical emergency, use 119. |
| Infectious-disease questions | 1339 | This is the infectious-disease contact listed by Korea Tourism Organization, not a substitute for an ambulance request. |
Official references: Korea Tourism Organization emergency contacts and emergency interpretation guidance. Within Korea, dial 119 without a country or area code.
Find a clinic or pharmacy that can help now
1. Write down where you actually are
Use the hotel’s Korean street address or a nearby building’s name. “Hongdae” or “Gangnam” is too broad for a useful search. If someone is helping you call, show the address on your phone and include the building floor or room when relevant.
For a map search, useful Korean labels are 약국 (pharmacy), 의원 (clinic), 병원 (hospital) and 응급실 (emergency department). Our Korean map-app guide explains searching local addresses.
2. Use a medical or pharmacy directory
On E-GEN, look for 병원·약국 찾기, the hospital/pharmacy search, and choose your current area. For emergency-department listings, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency links directly to E-GEN’s emergency-room search. Do not delay an emergency call while trying to interpret a listing.
For pharmacies, Pharm114 accepts a pharmacy name or neighborhood name. It is operated by the Korean Pharmaceutical Association. Use it to identify a place to contact, not as a guarantee that a particular medicine is available.
3. Confirm three things before the journey
- Can you accept a patient or customer now? Ask about the last registration time, not just when the building closes.
- Can you handle this request? Briefly describe the concern to the professional, or ask the pharmacist whether a clinician must assess it first.
- How will we communicate? Ask whether English assistance is available at that time. Do not assume every shift has an interpreter.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare’s facility-finding guidance recommends contacting the chosen clinic before visiting. Holiday and overnight operation can change. If a listing does not answer, try another appropriate listing or seek professional guidance; do not rely on the unanswered listing alone.
Show these Korean phrases to staff
Replace the brackets with your own information. These are communication prompts, not a medical assessment.
| English | Korean |
|---|---|
| Please call an ambulance. We are at [address]. | 구급차를 불러 주세요. 여기는 [주소]입니다. |
| Is the pharmacy open now? | 지금 약국이 문을 열었나요? |
| Can I still register to see a doctor today? | 오늘 진료 접수가 아직 가능한가요? |
| Is English assistance available? | 영어로 도움을 받을 수 있나요? |
| I take this medicine. Here is the packaging. | 저는 이 약을 복용하고 있어요. 약 포장입니다. |
| I am allergic to [substance]. | 저는 [물질]에 알레르기가 있어요. |
| Please give me an itemized receipt. | 진료비 세부 내역서와 영수증을 주세요. |
Prepare for registration and the insurance claim
If time and your condition allow, take identification, travel-insurance details, a way to pay, and the packaging or a clear list of medicines you use. Include allergies and when the problem started. Do not delay emergency help to collect these items.
For a non-emergency appointment, ask the provider about registration documents, expected charges and payment methods before leaving. Ask your insurer whether it requires preauthorization, has a preferred facility, or reimburses you after payment. Do not assume that showing an insurance card settles the bill.
Keep the receipt, itemized bill and any documents the insurer specifically requests. Ask the clinic to clarify the prescription and follow-up instructions before leaving. Discuss unfamiliar medicine names, duplicate ingredients and allergies with the pharmacist rather than matching products by package color.
If you specifically need English-speaking care
Korea Tourism Organization maintains a directory of international health-care services. Use the hospital’s current contact details to ask about appointments and language assistance. An international clinic’s office hours are different from an emergency department’s operation; a hospital name alone does not confirm that its international desk is open.
For example, if a clinic listing says it closes at 18:00 and your map predicts arrival at 17:50, first ask whether registration is still accepted. That question is more useful than repeatedly checking the same closing time.
If your phone cannot place a regular call
For routine calls, ask hotel or information-desk staff to help contact the facility. A working internet connection does not necessarily mean your tourist plan includes outgoing voice calls. See what a tourist Korean phone number can and cannot do. In an emergency, ask a nearby person or staff member to call 119 immediately if your own call will not connect.
Reviewed by KLOGUE Editor · October 21, 2026. Official references are linked beside the relevant information. Recheck time-sensitive details with the service provider before travelling.