What should foreign visitors know before going to a pharmacy in Korea?

Pharmacy or cosmetics shop: what’s the difference?

Under Korea’s Pharmaceutical Affairs Act (Article 44), medicines are, as a rule, sold by pharmacies — the pharmacy’s owner or the pharmacists and herbal pharmacists working there. For ordinary shops, the only exception is a short list of safe over-the-counter medicines (안전상비의약품) for minor, urgent symptoms, capped by law at 20 products and set by the Minister of Health and Welfare. An ordinary shop may sell only those, and only if it runs around the clock, every day of the year, and has registered with its local district office (Article 44-2). A cosmetics shop without that registration cannot sell medicines at all.

It works the other way, too. The Korea Tourism Organization notes that Korean pharmacies carry skincare products and functional cosmetics alongside medicines, all in one place.

If you don’t speak Korean

The Korea Tourism Organization’s pharmacy guide boils it down to two things: a translation app and a photo of the medicine you need. Use the app to say what kind of medicine you are looking for, where it hurts, and any allergies; if the app doesn’t get the message across, show the photo. In areas that see many overseas visitors, you can also look for a pharmacy with a “Language assistance available” sign at the entrance.

For prescription or more complex medicines, the same guide points you elsewhere: see a doctor before your trip, bring your medical record and an English prescription, and keep spare copies or photos in case you lose them.

Late at night, on a weekend or on a holiday

Finding an open pharmacy can be harder late at night or on weekends and public holidays. The Korea Tourism Organization points to two services run by the Korean Pharmaceutical Association: the holiday pharmacy finder (pharm114.or.kr) and a late-night pharmacy map. Its advice is to note down the contact details of a few duty pharmacies before your trip.

When you need interpretation or travel help

The 1330 Korea Travel Helpline (+82-2-1330) answers in Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese, Russian, Vietnamese, Thai and Indonesian, and also has a text chat.

Immediate tax refunds: look for the sign

Foreign visitors can get an immediate tax refund only at some of the shops displaying a “Tax Refund” or “Tax Free” sign, and you need to show your passport when you pay. Eligibility, limits and how to claim a refund at departure are covered in our separate tax refund guide.

A pharmacy on your Bukchon walk

Bukchon Wellness Museum is a pharmacy at 33-2 Gyedong-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul (1st–2nd floors), a 3-minute walk from Anguk Station (Line 3), Exit 3. Bukchon Wellness Museum is open every day of the year, from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., and English, Chinese and Japanese are spoken. It accepts Alipay, WeChat Pay, Visa and American Express, and offers immediate tax refunds for foreign visitors.

Its featured Korean cosmetics brands are A.THEORY, LIENJANG, BLANCMUSE, 옵티팜 and LISSEDERM.