Korea's healthcare is excellent and cheap — the hard part is knowing where to go and what happens. 5 facility tiers (so you don't waste a day at a big hospital for a cold), a symptom → department decoder across 11 진료과, the 7-step visit flow from registration to the separate pharmacy, and 8 tips on cost + insurance.
Curated 2026-07 · re-verified 2026-10-08. Prices shown are the official 2026 first-visit consultation fees (₩18,840 at a 의원, ₩19,980 from December 2026) — the fee alone; tests, procedures and the pharmacy come on top. For the hospital + OTC-medicine list see Medical.
Start low. A neighborhood 의원 is the right first stop for most everyday problems.
Walk-in, minutes
Pharmacists can recommend OTC meds for minor issues. Cheapest first step. No prescription needed for OTC. See /medical for the OTC name list.
Official first-visit fee ₩18,840 (consultation only) · 10–30 min (walk-in OK)
₩19,980 from December 2026
The correct first stop for most problems. Single-specialty (내과, 이비인후과, 피부과…). Short wait, and the cheapest tier on NHIS at 30% — every step up the list costs a bigger share. Walk in with your passport/ARC.
Official first-visit fee ₩17,500 (consultation only) · 30–60 min
₩17,850 from December 2026
Bigger than a 의원, multiple departments + basic imaging. Good middle tier when a clinic can't handle it but you don't need a university hospital. On NHIS you pay 40% here (35% in 읍·면 areas) rather than the 30% a 의원 charges.
Official first-visit fee ₩19,470 (consultation only) · 1+ hour; appointment often required
₩19,860 from December 2026
Don't start here for minor issues — long waits, higher cost, and many require a 진료의뢰서 (referral) from a clinic. On NHIS a 종합병원 is 50% (45% in 읍·면); at a 상급종합병원 (the big university hospitals) you pay the consultation fee in FULL plus 60% of everything else (the 상급종합병원 first-visit fee itself is ₩21,440, ₩21,860 from December 2026), which is why a referral and the right tier save real money. Best English support + international clinics live here (Severance, Samsung, Asan, St. Mary's).
Triaged by severity
Open 24/7 but expensive and slow for non-emergencies. For after-hours non-emergencies, call 119 first — besides ambulances it answers "which clinic/pharmacy near me is open" and can bring an interpreter on the line. (The old 1339 medical-information line was folded into 119 in June 2012; 1339 today is the KDCA infectious-disease line.) You can also check the 응급의료포털 e-gen.or.kr.
In Korea you pick the department yourself. Type your symptom to find the right 진료과.
11 results
For most issues choose a neighborhood 의원 of the matching department (e.g. cold → 내과, sore throat → 이비인후과). Don't default to a big hospital. Find one on Naver Map; many show "외국인 진료" or English on their listing.
Clinics usually take walk-ins; big hospitals often need a phone/online appointment. Mornings and early afternoons are least crowded. Avoid Monday mornings + post-holiday rush.
Hand over your passport (tourists) or ARC (residents) and fill a short first-visit form. Say your main symptom. You get a number and wait. First-visit forms may be Korean-only — a translation app helps.
Consults are usually short — often just a few minutes. State your symptoms plainly; the doctor examines and decides treatment. Ask for an English explanation if needed; many doctors read English even if they speak little.
Pay on the way out — card or cash. Without Korean insurance you pay the full price: the first-visit consultation fee alone is ₩18,840 at a 의원 (₩19,980 from December 2026), and tests and procedures are billed on top. Residents on NHIS pay 30% at a 의원, but 40% at a 병원 and 50% at a 종합병원 — the tier decides the share. Ask for a 영수증 (receipt) if you'll claim travel insurance.
The clinic does NOT give you medicine (의약분업 = prescribing and dispensing are separated). You receive a printed 처방전 to take to a pharmacy. Keep both copies.
Go to any 약국 — there's almost always one next to or near the clinic. Hand over the 처방전; the pharmacist dispenses + explains dosage. Medicine is cheap and fast. Done.