Seeing a Doctor in Korea: Clinics, Hospitals, Pharmacies, and What a Visit Costs

Medical disclaimer: This guide is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute medical, legal, or insurance advice. In an emergency, call 119. Fees and copayment rules change, and what a visit costs depends on the institution, the treatment, and the patient's insurance status. For questions about coverage, contact the National Health Insurance Service on 1577-1000 (extension 6 for English) or 033-811-2000. For interpretation at any hour, call 1330.

This guide covers: why a neighborhood clinic is almost always the right first stop, how Korea's four tiers of medical institutions differ in cost, what a visit costs in 2026 with real fee examples, how to pick the right clinic by specialty, what happens at reception and in the consulting room, how prescriptions and pharmacies work, what can be bought at a convenience store, the referral letter rule that makes a university hospital visit cost 100 percent without one, how emergency rooms classify and charge patients, how night and holiday surcharges work, where to get help in English, dental and mental health care, what certificates cost and when an academy can ask for one, and how academies can make it easy for teachers to get care.

Start at a clinic: how Korea's medical system is layered

Short answer: Korean medical institutions come in four tiers: clinics (의원), hospitals (병원), general hospitals (종합병원), and tertiary hospitals (상급종합병원), which are mostly large university hospitals. National Health Insurance pays the most at the bottom tier, so the patient's share of covered costs rises from 30 percent at a clinic to the full consultation fee plus 60 percent of everything else at a tertiary hospital. For colds, infections, skin problems, minor injuries and routine prescriptions, a neighborhood clinic is the intended first stop.

The structure is deliberate. Korea's health insurance rules divide care into a first stage, received anywhere except a tertiary hospital, and a second stage at tertiary hospitals, which requires a referral. Copayments are set so that ordinary illness is treated close to home.

The four tiers and the 2026 outpatient copayment

These rates come from the National Health Insurance Service's cost-sharing table, which cites the National Health Insurance Act and its Enforcement Decree. Lower rates apply to pregnant women and infants under one, and older patients pay fixed amounts at clinics below a set cost. Services that insurance does not cover (비급여) are paid in full at every tier.

Practical tip: Treat the signboard as the guide. A name ending in 의원 is a clinic and the cheapest place to start; 병원 is a hospital; a name containing 대학교병원 or 대학병원 is usually a tertiary hospital, which should be a second stop with a referral letter, not a first one.

What a visit costs in 2026

Short answer: For an insured patient, an ordinary clinic visit for a cold or minor problem typically costs a few thousand won at reception plus 30 percent of the medicine at the pharmacy. The 2026 first-visit consultation fee at a clinic is ₩18,840, of which an insured adult pays 30 percent, roughly ₩5,600, before any tests, injections or other items. Costs climb with the size of the institution, with non-covered services, and on nights and holidays.

The bigger risks are not the price of a clinic visit but the bill from walking into a university hospital without a referral, or from a test that turns out to be non-covered.

Fee examples

The clinic fee rose by ₩140 from ₩18,700 for 2026, which added about ₩42 to the patient's share. Prices for non-covered services differ between institutions, and the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA, 건강보험심사평가원) publishes what institutions charge for them on its website (hira.or.kr) and mobile app.

Night, weekend and holiday surcharges

Consultation and dispensing fees carry a surcharge outside regular hours. The Ministry of Health and Welfare describes a 30 percent addition at clinics and pharmacies on weekdays from 6 p.m. to 9 a.m., on Saturdays, and all day on Sundays and public holidays. It applies to fee items such as the consultation fee and the pharmacy's dispensing fee rather than to every item on the bill, and it explains why the same visit can cost more on a Saturday.

The annual ceiling

National Health Insurance caps the covered copayments a member pays in a year, with the ceiling set by premium bracket, and non-covered items fall outside it. The details and the 2026 ceilings are in the National Health Insurance guide.

Practical tip: Before agreeing to an MRI, ultrasound, injection course or any procedure, ask "보험 돼요?" (is this covered by insurance?) and "얼마예요?" (how much is it?). The answer decides whether the price is 30 percent of a regulated fee or 100 percent of the institution's own price.

Choosing the right clinic

Short answer: Korean clinics are organized by specialty, and the insurance rules let a patient go directly to any clinic, with no requirement to see a general practitioner first. An internal medicine clinic (내과) handles colds, fevers and stomach problems; an ear, nose and throat clinic (이비인후과) handles sore throats, sinus and ear problems; dermatology, orthopedics, ophthalmology and dentistry each have their own clinics. A family medicine clinic (가정의학과) is the closest thing to a general practitioner.

Choosing correctly saves a second trip and a second consultation fee.

Finding one

Map apps list nearby clinics, as covered in the guide to Kakao, Naver and Toss apps. HIRA's hospital and pharmacy search on hira.or.kr and its mobile app shows each institution's address, phone number, departments and equipment. The National Emergency Medical Center's E-Gen service (e-gen.or.kr), which has an English version, lists emergency rooms, hospitals and pharmacies that are open, including at night and on holidays.

Practical tip: Find a nearby internal medicine clinic and ENT clinic in the first week after arrival, before anyone is sick, and save them in a map app. Knowing where to go before it is needed removes the hardest step.

What happens at the visit, step by step

Short answer: A visit starts at the reception desk (접수), where the patient registers with an ID, waits to be called, sees the doctor, pays at reception, and leaves with a receipt and, where medicine is needed, a prescription to take to a separate pharmacy. Since May 20, 2024, clinics and hospitals must check the patient's identity at each visit before applying health insurance.

The identity check matters because without an ID, the clinic may be unable to apply insurance and can charge the uninsured price.

1. Bring an ID. The National Health Insurance Act accepts a passport or driver's license as well as the health insurance certificate, and reports on the 2024 rule confirm that the residence card (외국인등록증) and the mobile health insurance card are accepted.
2. Register at reception (접수). Say the reason for the visit in a few words; a first visit may involve a short registration form.
3. See the doctor. A written list of symptoms, when they started, current medication and allergies makes the consultation more useful.
4. Pay at reception and ask for the receipt (영수증).
5. Take the prescription to a pharmacy. It states a period of use, and the pharmacy must receive it within that period.
6. Keep receipts. Medical bills in Korea count toward the income tax medical expense credit, and private insurers ask for them.

Practical tip: Write the symptoms in English, run them through a translation app into Korean, and show the screen at reception and to the doctor. Add any allergies and regular medication. It turns a hurried exchange into a precise one.

Pharmacies, prescriptions and convenience-store medicine

Short answer: In Korea, doctors prescribe and pharmacists dispense, so medicine from a clinic visit is collected at a separate pharmacy (약국). The insured patient pays 30 percent of the cost of prescribed medicine. Pharmacies also sell over-the-counter medicine without a prescription, and 24-hour convenience stores registered for it can sell a short list of designated basic medicines when pharmacies are closed.

How a prescription works

Under the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act (약사법), doctors and dentists prescribe and pharmacists dispense according to the prescription, with exceptions such as emergency patients, inpatients and injections given at the clinic. Under the Enforcement Rules of the Medical Service Act, a doctor issues the prescription in two copies, states the date of issue and a period of use, and leaves the disease classification code off the prescription if the patient asks. The prescription form says it must be submitted to a pharmacy within its period of use.

Prescriptions issued by a general or tertiary hospital for one of 100 listed mild conditions carry a higher pharmacy copayment: 50 percent from a tertiary hospital and 40 percent from a general hospital. That is another reason to treat mild illness at a clinic.

Convenience-store medicine

The Pharmaceutical Affairs Act allows designated safe household medicines (안전상비의약품) to be sold outside pharmacies, limited by law to 20 products and in practice to 13 products designated by the Ministry of Health and Welfare in four groups: fever and pain relievers, cold medicine, digestive medicine, and pain relief patches. Only stores open 24 hours a day, every day of the year, can register to sell them. Reports note that two children's fever products on the list have been discontinued, so fewer are actually on the shelf.

Finding an open pharmacy

The Korean Pharmaceutical Association runs a search for pharmacies open on holidays and late (휴일지킴이약국, pharm114.or.kr), by date, time and area. E-Gen also lists open pharmacies.

Practical tip: Fill a prescription the same day it is issued. The period of use is printed on the form and can be short, and a lapsed prescription means another consultation.

University hospitals and the referral letter

Short answer: A tertiary hospital is second-stage care. To use National Health Insurance there, the patient must bring a referral letter (요양급여의뢰서, often called 진료의뢰서) from a first-stage institution, or a health check result recommending tertiary care. Without one, the patient can still be seen but pays 100 percent of the insurance price. Emergencies, childbirth, dentistry, family medicine and a few other cases are exempt.

It is an expensive mistake to make, because a large university hospital with an international clinic can look like the obvious place to go.

The rule and its exceptions

Article 2 of the Rules on the Standards for National Health Insurance Care Benefits splits care into first-stage care at any institution other than a tertiary hospital, and second-stage care at a tertiary hospital, and requires the first before the second. A patient seeking second-stage care submits a referral letter or a health check result in which a doctor states that tertiary care is needed, together with the insurance certificate or an ID. The NHI Act's Enforcement Rule makes the patient pay the total cost when the procedure is not followed, and Seoul National University Hospital tells patients that without a referral they can be treated but pay 100 percent of the insurance price.

Under the same Article 2, a patient can use a tertiary hospital as first-stage care:

• as an emergency patient;
• for childbirth;
• for dental care;
• for rehabilitation medicine, as a registered disabled person or a patient needing rehabilitation therapy;
• at a family medicine department;
• as an employee of that hospital;
• as a hemophilia patient.

Coverage starts from the visit at which the referral is submitted; a referral obtained afterward does not change bills already paid, according to hospital guidance.

International clinics

Some large hospitals run international health care centers with English-speaking staff and appointment systems. Severance Hospital, for example, describes an International Health Care Center with interpretation in English and other languages and branches in Seodaemun, Gangnam and Yongin. Where such a center is part of a tertiary hospital, the referral rule still decides whether insurance applies.

Practical tip: When a clinic doctor says a problem needs a bigger hospital, ask for a referral letter (진료의뢰서 써 주세요) and, for tests already done, a copy of the results. Taking both to the hospital avoids paying in full and repeating tests.

Emergencies and the emergency room

Short answer: Call 119 for an ambulance or for advice on where to go. Korean emergency rooms sort patients by the Korean Triage and Acuity Scale (KTAS), level 1 being the most urgent and level 5 non-urgent. Since September 13, 2024, mild (level 4) and non-urgent (level 5) patients who go to the largest emergency centers pay 90 percent of emergency room costs, so a sprained ankle or a superficial cut is far cheaper at a clinic or a local emergency room.

The rule was introduced to keep the big emergency centers for serious cases, and it remains in the current National Health Insurance Act Enforcement Rule.

Who pays 90 percent

News coverage of the change, citing the health ministry and HIRA, gave examples of non-urgent cases: diarrhea without dehydration, mild headache or abdominal pain, an ankle sprain, a superficial cut, or a visit only for a prescription. It also reported that before the change these patients paid 50 to 60 percent, and that a patient classified as mild who leaves without treatment does not pay the extra charge.

Getting help in an emergency

• 119 sends an ambulance and can also give medical advice and direct callers to an open facility.
• E-Gen (e-gen.or.kr) shows emergency rooms, hospitals and pharmacies currently open.
• 1339, the old emergency medical information number still mentioned in older guides, no longer exists; its functions were merged into 119, and the number ended in June 2013.

The guide to English hotlines covers how to make a 119 call work without Korean, and the guide to food allergies covers anaphylaxis.

Practical tip: Save the home address and the workplace address in Korean characters on the phone. In an emergency, the location is the first thing a dispatcher needs, and a Korean address can be read aloud by anyone nearby.

Nights, weekends and holidays

Short answer: Clinic hours vary, and fewer institutions are open at night and on Sundays and public holidays. Outside regular hours, E-Gen and the holiday pharmacy search show what is open, 119 can advise, and the 129 health and welfare call center and Seoul's 120 call center can say which facilities are open. A 30 percent surcharge applies to consultation and dispensing fees in those hours.

Checking what will be open before long holidays such as Chuseok and Seollal avoids a search on the day. The Chuseok travel guide covers holiday planning more broadly.

Getting help in English

Short answer: 1330, the Korea Travel Hotline run by the Korea Tourism Organization, is free, open 24 hours, and offers three-way interpretation, which works at a clinic counter or pharmacy as well as on the phone. Seoul's 120 Dasan Call Center offers foreign-language counseling, and international health care centers at large hospitals have English-speaking staff.

A written note in both English and Korean does much of the work at a neighborhood clinic, and the lines below cover the rest.

• 1330: call, explain the situation, and hand the phone to the receptionist or pharmacist; the operator interprets both ways.
• 120 (Seoul): foreign-language counseling including English, with three-way interpretation; after hours it routes callers to 1330.
• 129: the health and welfare call center, for questions about the medical system and welfare services.
• NHIS: 1577-1000, extension 6, or 033-811-2000 for insurance questions in English.

Practical tip: Save 1330 under a name like "Interpreter" rather than "Tourist hotline". It is the number most likely to be needed at a pharmacy counter, and residents can use it as well as tourists.

Dental care and mental health

Short answer: Dental clinics are covered by National Health Insurance at the same 30 percent rate as other clinics, and scaling (tooth cleaning) is covered once per calendar year for adults aged 19 and over, at a patient share reported at around ₩15,000 to ₩18,000. Many dental treatments are non-covered and priced by the clinic. Psychiatric clinics (정신건강의학과) are covered like any other clinic.

Dental

Because dental care is exempt from the referral rule, a patient can also go directly to a tertiary hospital's dental department, but the higher tertiary copayment applies. Before agreeing to treatment, asking which items are covered and what the non-covered items cost avoids surprises.

Mental health

A psychiatric clinic is a clinic like any other for insurance purposes, at 30 percent of covered costs. Since January 2024, Korea has used a single suicide prevention and crisis line, 109, which replaced several earlier numbers. Whether it offers English counseling could not be confirmed for this guide, so 1330's interpretation is the fallback for anyone who needs help in English urgently, and 119 remains the number for immediate danger.

The guide to the first 90 days covers loneliness in the first months.

Certificates, sick days and work injuries

Short answer: Medical institutions may charge for certificates only up to the ceilings set by the Ministry of Health and Welfare: ₩20,000 for a general medical certificate (일반진단서), in Korean or English, and ₩3,000 for a simple confirmation of treatment or outpatient visits. Korean labor law does not require paid sick leave, so sick days depend on the contract and the academy's rules. An injury caused by work is different: the employer, or industrial accident insurance, must cover treatment.

When an academy asks for proof after a sick day, knowing which document to ask the clinic for saves money.

What certificates cost

The ceilings are set in the Ministry's notice on certificate fees, which requires each institution to post its own fees where patients can see them and on its website. They exclude consultation and test fees.

Sick days

The Labor Standards Act contains no sick leave provision. Paid sick leave exists only where the contract, the rules of employment or a collective agreement provides it; otherwise a sick day is generally unpaid. The guide to probation clauses covers how contracts handle absences in the first months.

Work injuries

Article 78 of the Labor Standards Act requires the employer to provide or pay for medical care when a worker is injured or falls ill because of work. Industrial accident compensation insurance (산재보험) applies to every business that employs workers, and pays medical benefits where treatment takes more than three days; injuries that heal within three days fall to the employer under the Labor Standards Act.

Practical tip: When an academy asks for proof of a sick day, ask whether a confirmation of treatment (진료확인서) will do. It costs at most ₩3,000, against up to ₩20,000 for a diagnosis certificate, and it does not state a diagnosis.

For academies

• Enroll teachers in health insurance from the first day. An unenrolled teacher pays the uninsured price, as covered in the National Health Insurance guide.
• Give new teachers a one-page health sheet. The nearest internal medicine, ENT and dental clinics, a pharmacy, the nearest emergency room, the academy's address in Korean, and 119, 1330 and the NHIS English line.
• Say what proof is needed for a sick day. A confirmation of treatment (진료확인서) costs at most ₩3,000; requiring a diagnosis certificate for a single day costs the teacher up to ₩20,000.
• Write the sick leave policy into the contract. The Labor Standards Act does not set one, so the contract or rules of employment are the only source.
• Handle work injuries properly. An injury at work belongs under the employer's obligation and industrial accident insurance, not the teacher's own health insurance.
• Help with the first visit. A Korean colleague's short call, or a note in Korean explaining the symptoms, can be enough.
• Do not send teachers to university hospitals for minor problems. Without a referral letter, the teacher pays 100 percent.

Common problems and what causes them

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to see a doctor in Korea?
At a neighborhood clinic with National Health Insurance, the patient pays 30 percent of covered costs. The 2026 first-visit consultation fee is ₩18,840, so the consultation itself costs an insured adult roughly ₩5,600, plus tests and medicine.

Are doctor visits more expensive at night or on weekends in Korea?
Yes, slightly. Clinics and pharmacies add 30 percent to fees such as the consultation and dispensing fee on weekday nights from 6 p.m., on Saturdays, and on Sundays and public holidays.

Can I go straight to a university hospital in Korea?
Yes, but without a referral letter the patient pays 100 percent of the insurance price, except in emergencies, childbirth, dental care, family medicine and a few other cases.

What ID do I need at a Korean clinic?
Since May 20, 2024, clinics must check identity. A residence card, passport, driver's license or the mobile health insurance card is accepted.

Is the emergency room expensive in Korea?
For serious cases, normal copayments apply. Mild and non-urgent patients at the largest emergency centers pay 90 percent of emergency room costs, which the health ministry estimated at about ₩220,000 on average when the rule began.

Can I buy medicine without a prescription in Korea?
Yes. Pharmacies sell over-the-counter medicine, and registered 24-hour convenience stores sell a short list of basic fever, cold, digestive and pain medicines.

How do I find a pharmacy open on Sunday in Korea?
Search 휴일지킴이약국 on pharm114.or.kr, or use E-Gen, which also lists open emergency rooms and hospitals.

Is there an English medical hotline in Korea?
1330 offers free interpretation 24 hours a day, including three-way calls at a clinic or pharmacy. In an emergency, call 119.

Is dental cleaning covered by insurance in Korea?
Scaling is covered once per calendar year for adults aged 19 and over, at a patient share reported at around ₩15,000 to ₩18,000.

Do hagwon teachers get paid sick leave?
Only if the contract or the academy's rules provide it. The Labor Standards Act does not require paid sick leave, though work-related injuries are the employer's responsibility.

The short version

Korea's medical system is built around neighborhood clinics. Starting there costs an insured patient 30 percent of a regulated fee, roughly ₩5,600 for a 2026 first consultation, and a pharmacy fills the prescription at 30 percent.

The expensive mistakes are avoidable: a university hospital without a referral letter costs 100 percent, a minor problem at a major emergency center costs 90 percent, and a non-covered test costs whatever the institution charges.

Bring an ID to every visit, match the problem to the right specialty, fill prescriptions the same day, and keep the receipts.

The single most useful thing to do is find the nearest internal medicine clinic, ENT clinic and pharmacy in the first week, and save 1330 for the moment a conversation at the counter stops working.

Sources

• National Health Insurance Service, cost-sharing table: outpatient rates by institution tier, inpatient rate, pharmacy rates and the 100 mild conditions rule (Korean)
• National Law Information Center, Rules on the Standards for National Health Insurance Care Benefits, Article 2: first- and second-stage care, referral documents and exceptions (Korean)
• National Law Information Center, Enforcement Rule of the National Health Insurance Act, Annex 6: full cost without the referral procedure and the 90 percent emergency room rate for KTAS 4 and 5 patients (Korean)
• National Law Information Center, National Health Insurance Act, Article 12: identification documents accepted for care (Korean)
• National Law Information Center, Pharmaceutical Affairs Act: separation of prescribing and dispensing (Article 23) and safe household medicines sold outside pharmacies (Article 44-2) (Korean)
• National Law Information Center, Enforcement Rules of the Medical Service Act, Article 12: prescription contents, two copies, period of use and omission of the disease code on request (Korean)
• Ministry of Health and Welfare notice on medical certificate fees (No. 2021-34): maximum fees for certificates and record copies (Korean)
• National Law Information Center, Labor Standards Act, Article 78 (employer's duty to provide care for work injuries) and Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance Act, Articles 6 and 40 (coverage of all workplaces and medical benefits beyond three days) (Korean)
• JoongAng Ilbo, October 31, 2025: 2026 clinic first-visit consultation fee rises from ₩18,700 to ₩18,840 (Korean)
• Wonju Severance Christian Hospital: consultation fees and patient share applied from January 1, 2026 (Korean)
• Money Today, September 13, 2024: 90 percent emergency room copay for mild patients, examples of non-urgent cases, average cost estimate, and 119 advice (Korean)
• Hankyung, September 14, 2024: Ministry of Health and Welfare on night, Saturday and holiday surcharges at clinics and pharmacies (Korean)
• Seoul National University Hospital outpatient guide: referral letter requirement and 100 percent charge without one (Korean)
• Korea JoongAng Daily, May 2024: ID checks at hospitals and clinics from May 20, 2024 (English)
• National Emergency Medical Center, E-Gen: open emergency rooms, hospitals and pharmacies (Korean, with English version)
• Severance Hospital International Health Care Center: appointments and interpretation (English)
• National Health Insurance Service newsletter: annual scaling coverage for adults (Korean)
• Emergency: 119 · Interpretation: 1330 · Health and welfare call center: 129 · Seoul Dasan Call Center: 120 · NHIS: 1577-1000 (extension 6 for English) or 033-811-2000 · HIRA: 1644-2000 · Crisis counseling: 109

For enrollment, premiums and the annual copayment ceiling, see the National Health Insurance guide. For saving emergency and interpretation numbers, see the guide to English hotlines. For allergy-safe eating and anaphylaxis, see the guide to food allergies. For apps that find clinics and pharmacies nearby, see the guide to Kakao, Naver and Toss apps.