Traveling to Korea with prescription medication or food allergies requires some advance planning, but the country is well-equipped to help you stay healthy — much like other aspects of accessibility travel in Korea, a little preparation goes a long way. Korean pharmacies are plentiful, many hospitals have English-speaking staff, and allergy awareness is growing in restaurants and convenience stores. Here is everything you need to know before you go.
Bringing Medication into Korea
South Korea allows travelers to bring personal medication for up to 90 days without special permits, provided it is for personal use and kept in its original packaging. However, some medications common in Western countries — including certain ADHD stimulants, strong painkillers containing codeine or oxycodone, and some sedatives — are controlled substances in Korea and may be confiscated at customs.
Before you travel, take these steps to avoid problems at the border:
- Carry a letter from your prescribing doctor on clinic letterhead stating your name, diagnosis, medication name, dosage, and duration of treatment.
- Keep medication in its original labeled bottle or blister pack alongside the pharmacy receipt.
- For controlled substances, contact the Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) at least two weeks before travel to obtain an import permit. The MFDS website (www.mfds.go.kr) has an English section with the application form.
- Declare all medication on your customs form. Declaring is always safer than not declaring.
Finding Medication at Korean Pharmacies
Korea has over 22,000 pharmacies (약국, yak-guk) nationwide, identifiable by a green cross sign. In tourist areas like Myeongdong, Hongdae, and Haeundae in Busan, many pharmacists speak basic English and can identify medications by their generic names.
Common over-the-counter equivalents for typical traveler complaints are affordable and widely available:
- Painkillers: Tylenol (타이레놀) 500mg, around ₩3,000–₩5,000 for 10 tablets. Ibuprofen-based options such as Advil are also sold.
- Antidiarrheal: Loperamide generics cost roughly ₩2,000–₩4,000.
- Antihistamines: Cetirizine (세티리진) tablets run about ₩3,000–₩6,000 for a small pack.
- Antacids: Gastropharm and local brands cost ₩2,500–₩5,000.
For prescription refills, you will need to visit a local clinic (의원, eui-won). Expect to pay ₩5,000–₩15,000 for a walk-in consultation without Korean national health insurance. The doctor writes a prescription, which you fill at a nearby pharmacy — prescriptions are almost always sent to a pharmacy immediately next door to the clinic. Prescription medication costs vary but are generally lower than in Western countries; a week of common antibiotics typically costs ₩5,000–₩10,000 after the clinic fee.
Managing Food Allergies in Korea
Korean cuisine features several ingredients that are common allergens. Sesame oil and sesame seeds appear in the majority of Korean dishes. Shellfish — shrimp, crab, and squid — are used in kimchi, broths, and side dishes (banchan) as flavoring agents, even when not the main ingredient. Soy sauce and soybean paste (doenjang) are foundational to Korean cooking and are present in nearly every savory dish. Peanuts appear more commonly in Korean-Chinese fusion dishes like jajangmyeon accompaniments than in traditional Korean food, but still appear in some snacks and sauces.
Practical steps for dining with allergies in Korea:
- Print or save allergy cards in Korean (한국어 알레르기 카드). Sites like SelectWisely.com offer medically reviewed Korean allergy cards that explain cross-contamination risks.
- At chain restaurants — Paris Baguette, Lotteria, Burger King Korea, and CU and GS25 convenience stores — allergen information is labeled on packaging in Korean with allergen icons. Use the Papago app to translate labels instantly.
- Vegetarian and vegan restaurants in Itaewon (Seoul), Insadong, and around Hongdae often have English menus and are well-versed in allergen requests.
- Hospital cafeterias and department store food courts (Shinsegae, Lotte) typically label allergens on signage.
If you carry an epinephrine auto-injector (EpiPen), make sure it is in your carry-on at all times. Korean emergency services (119) are fast and well-trained. Major hospitals such as Severance Hospital in Seoul (02-2228-5800, English hotline available) and Pusan National University Hospital in Busan have international patient centers that assist English-speaking visitors.
Emergency Medical Help in Korea
In a medical emergency, call 119 (ambulance and fire) or 1339 (24-hour medical helpline with English interpretation available). Emergency rooms at major hospitals are open around the clock, and larger airports also provide services such as wheelchair support at airports in Korea for travelers who need mobility assistance on arrival. Expect to pay upfront as a foreign national without Korean insurance — a standard ER visit runs approximately ₩50,000–₩150,000 depending on tests required, far less than in countries like the US. Keep receipts for travel insurance reimbursement.
English-friendly hospitals in popular tourist destinations include:
- Seoul: Seoul National University Hospital International Healthcare Center (02-2072-0505), Asan Medical Center International Clinic (02-3010-5001)
- Busan: Haeundae Paik Hospital International Medical Center (051-797-3000)
- Jeju: Jeju National University Hospital (064-717-1114)
Travel insurance that covers medical evacuation is strongly recommended for anyone with serious allergies or complex medical needs — and if you are also traveling with pets to Korea, check that your policy and pet documentation cover emergency veterinary care as well. Korea’s healthcare system is excellent, but having documentation and insurance in place makes everything faster and less stressful.
Itaewon or Haebangchon: Which Suits Your Trip?
First-time visitors often ask whether to base an evening in Itaewon or Haebangchon, and the honest answer depends on what kind of night you want. Itaewon suits travellers who want variety and energy: a denser cluster of clubs, late-opening restaurants, and a crowd that skews younger and louder, especially around the Hamilton Hotel intersection after 10 pm. Haebangchon suits travellers who prefer a slower pace — think a single beer on a rooftop with a Namsan Tower view, or a long dinner at a neighbourhood bistro without having to shout over music. If you only have one evening, a workable compromise is to eat dinner in Itaewon (more choice, easier to find a table without a booking) and then walk uphill to HBC for a quieter drink once the main strip gets crowded.
Timing matters more here than in most Seoul neighbourhoods. Itaewon’s shops and cafés open around 11 am–noon, so a morning visit is largely wasted — the streets feel half-asleep and several restaurants won’t be serving yet. The area comes alive from about 6 pm, peaks between 9 pm and midnight on Friday and Saturday, and street food stalls near Exit 1 stay open until 2–3 am on weekends (prices, as of 2026, can change — check current stall pricing before visiting). Haebangchon runs on a gentler schedule: cafés open earlier, around 9–10 am, making it a genuinely good breakfast or brunch stop before Itaewon has woken up, while its rooftop bars quiet down noticeably earlier than Itaewon’s clubs, usually by midnight on weekdays.
A practical tip locals use that doesn’t show up on most tourist guides: the connector alley between the Antique Furniture Street and Gyeongnidan-gil (behind the row of antique shops, not the main road) is a genuine shortcut that cuts roughly five minutes off the walk between the two strips and avoids the steepest part of the hill — useful if you’re carrying shopping bags or moving between dinner and a rooftop bar in the evening heat. It’s unmarked on most map apps, so look for the narrow gap between shopfronts roughly halfway down the antique street.
For solo travellers or anyone unfamiliar with the area, Itaewon’s main road is well-lit and busy enough to feel comfortable walking alone even late at night, and it is widely known as one of Seoul’s most LGBTQ-friendly and internationally diverse districts, with a cluster of queer-friendly bars on the side streets near Exit 3. Haebangchon’s back alleys are dimmer and quieter after 10 pm, so if you’re walking back to accommodation solo late at night, sticking to Sinheung-ro itself rather than the smaller side lanes is the safer call.