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How to Use a Pharmacy in Korea as a Foreigner: Prescriptions, OTC Medicine, and Useful Phrases

Jin October 16, 2026

You walk into a Korean pharmacy with a headache, stomach problem, allergy, or prescription—and suddenly realize you do not know what to ask for.

Do you need a doctor first?

Can you show the pharmacist the medicine you normally take at home?

Will they understand English?

And why can you buy some medicine immediately while another medicine requires a Korean prescription?

The Korean pharmacy system is actually quite straightforward once you understand one distinction:

일반의약품 — over-the-counter/general medicine

can be sold at a pharmacy without a prescription.

전문의약품 — prescription medicine

generally requires a doctor's or dentist's prescription.

You do not need to memorize Korean medicine brands.

For most minor health problems, explaining your symptoms, allergies, and medicines you already take is much more useful than trying to pronounce a specific Korean product name.

Last checked: October 3, 2026. Medicine classification, product availability, pharmacy hours, and individual treatment needs can change. This guide explains how to use the pharmacy system and is not individualized medical advice.

Illustrated guide: How to Use a Pharmacy in Korea as a Foreigner: Prescriptions, OTC Medicine, and Useful Phrases

Quick answer: how do you use a Korean pharmacy?

For a normal pharmacy visit:

  1. Look for a sign saying 약국.
  2. Tell the pharmacist your main symptom.
  3. Mention allergies and important medicines you already take.
  4. Show a photo or active ingredient of your usual medicine if useful.
  5. The pharmacist will tell you whether an OTC option is available.
  6. If the medicine requires a prescription, visit a clinic first.
  7. Bring the Korean prescription to a pharmacy.
  8. Listen to the pharmacist's instructions on how to take the medicine.

If the symptoms are severe, rapidly worsening, or potentially dangerous, skip the normal pharmacy visit and seek medical care.

The Korean word for pharmacy: 약국

The sign you are looking for is:

약국

Pharmacies are common near:

  • Hospitals
  • Clinics
  • Subway stations
  • Residential areas
  • Major shopping districts

A Korean pharmacy is not the same thing as a beauty or health store.

A pharmacy has a licensed pharmacist and can:

  • Dispense prescription medicines
  • Sell over-the-counter medicines
  • Explain medication use
  • Help customers choose an appropriate OTC product without diagnosing the illness

Prescription vs OTC: the legal difference

Korea's Pharmaceutical Affairs Act divides medicines into categories that include:

일반의약품 — general/OTC medicines

and:

전문의약품 — prescription medicines.

Under the current law, a pharmacy can sell general medicines without a doctor's prescription.

But a pharmacy generally cannot sell prescription medicines unless they are being dispensed according to a prescription from a doctor or dentist.

Official source checked: Korea Law Information Center — Pharmaceutical Affairs Act, Article 50 (current consolidated version effective October 8, 2026; link checked October 29, 2026).

What can you ask a pharmacist about without a prescription?

Depending on the exact medicine and ingredient, Korean pharmacies carry OTC products for common problems such as:

  • Headache
  • Mild pain
  • Fever
  • Cold symptoms
  • Sore throat
  • Cough
  • Indigestion
  • Heartburn
  • Diarrhea
  • Motion sickness
  • Minor skin problems
  • Small wounds
  • Some eye symptoms

The exact product that can be sold without a prescription depends on its Korean regulatory classification.

Do not assume that a medicine available OTC in your home country will automatically be OTC in Korea.

You do not need to know a Korean brand name

Korea Tourism Organization currently recommends using:

  • A translation app
  • A photograph of the medicine you normally use

when communicating with a Korean pharmacist.

A photo showing the package can help.

Even better, show the:

active ingredient + strength

if you know it.

For example, instead of only saying:

“I need the American medicine I usually buy.”

show the pharmacist the ingredient information.

A Korean brand with the same or similar purpose may have a completely different name.

Tell the pharmacist the symptom—not only the medicine you want

A useful approach is:

“I have a sore throat and cough. No fever.”

instead of:

“Give me the strongest cold medicine.”

The pharmacist can then understand the reason you are asking.

Useful details include:

  • Main symptom
  • How long it has lasted
  • Age
  • Medication allergies
  • Other medicines already taken
  • Pregnancy or breastfeeding if relevant
  • Important medical conditions

Do not accidentally double the same ingredient

This is especially important with:

  • Cold medicine
  • Pain medicine
  • Fever medicine
  • Allergy medicine

A combination cold medicine may already contain an ingredient that is also present in another medicine you took earlier.

Show the pharmacist what you have already taken that day.

You can say:

오늘 이 약을 이미 먹었어요.
I already took this medicine today.

What if the medicine requires a prescription?

The normal Korean process is:

Clinic / hospital

↓

Doctor examines you

↓

Prescription — 처방전

↓

Pharmacy — 약국

↓

Medicine dispensed

Many clinics have pharmacies very close by.

In some areas you may see several pharmacies directly outside the same hospital building.

What should you do with the prescription?

Take the prescription to a pharmacy.

The pharmacist checks the prescription and prepares the medicine according to it.

You may receive:

  • Tablets separated into individual dose packets
  • Capsules
  • Liquid medicine
  • Ointments
  • Other prescribed products

Korean pharmacies commonly package oral prescription medicines into small individual packets based on when each dose should be taken.

This can look different from receiving several original manufacturer bottles.

Read the dose packet carefully

You may see:

  • 아침 — morning
  • 점심 — lunch
  • 저녁 — evening
  • 취침 전 — before bed
  • 식전 — before food
  • 식후 — after food

If you do not understand the instructions, ask before leaving.

Ask the pharmacist three questions

For any unfamiliar medicine, these are useful:

어떻게 먹어요?
How do I take this?

하루에 몇 번 먹어요?
How many times a day do I take it?

주의할 점이 있나요?
Is there anything I should be careful about?

The Pharmaceutical Affairs Act defines medication counseling to include information such as:

  • Medicine name
  • Directions
  • Dose
  • Effects
  • Storage
  • Side effects
  • Interactions

Official source: Pharmaceutical Affairs Act, Article 2; effective October 8, 2026; checked October 9, 2026.

Can you use a prescription from your home country?

Do not assume that an overseas prescription can simply be handed to a Korean pharmacy and dispensed like a Korean prescription.

Korea Tourism Organization recommends that travelers who have a complex condition or need prescription medicine bring:

  • Medical records
  • An English prescription
  • Copies or photographs of the documents

Those documents can help Korean medical professionals understand your existing treatment.

But if the medicine is prescription-only in Korea, expect that you may need to visit a Korean clinic so that a locally usable prescription can be issued.

A practical approach is:

Foreign prescription / medical record → Korean doctor → Korean prescription → Korean pharmacy.

If you regularly take prescription medication, bring the generic name

Do not rely only on a brand name used in your home country.

Save:

  • Generic/active ingredient
  • Strength
  • Normal dose
  • Reason you take it
  • Prescribing doctor's information if relevant

A Korean doctor or pharmacist may recognize the ingredient even when the foreign brand is unavailable.

Do not pharmacy-hop looking for prescription medicine without a prescription

If one pharmacist tells you:

“You need a prescription.”

the useful next step is normally a clinic.

Do not interpret it as:

“I should try ten pharmacies until one sells it.”

Korean law generally prohibits pharmacies from selling prescription medicine outside the prescription process.

Foreigners can use Korean pharmacies

You do not need Korean nationality to walk into a pharmacy and ask about OTC medicine or fill an appropriate prescription.

Tourist areas increasingly have pharmacies accustomed to international visitors.

Korea Tourism Organization currently highlights pharmacies offering:

  • English assistance
  • Chinese assistance
  • Japanese assistance
  • Other multilingual support

If language is important to you, look for:

Language assistance available

or search tourist-oriented pharmacy information before visiting.

Translation apps work better with short factual sentences

Instead of typing:

“I've been feeling sort of strange since dinner yesterday and I think maybe it was something I ate, but I'm not sure.”

try:

“Diarrhea since last night. Three times today. No fever. No blood. Allergy to penicillin.”

Short, structured information is easier for the pharmacist to understand and easier for translation software to handle accurately.

Pharmacy vs convenience store

This is another important distinction.

A Korean convenience store is not a pharmacy.

Korea does allow specially registered stores to sell a limited group of:

안전상비의약품 — designated safety medicines.

As of March 31, 2026, the Ministry of Health and Welfare lists 13 designated products in four main categories:

  • Fever / pain relief
  • Cold medicine
  • Digestive medicine
  • Pain-relief patches

Convenience stores cannot provide the same medicine selection or pharmacist counseling as a pharmacy.

If you are unsure what medicine you need and a pharmacy is open:

the pharmacy is generally the more useful place to go.

Not every convenience store sells medicine

Stores selling designated safety medicines must be registered and meet government requirements.

Among other conditions, the system is designed around stores operating:

24 hours a day, year-round.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare also limits:

  • The designated product list
  • Package quantities sold per transaction
  • Sales to children under 12

So do not expect a convenience store medicine shelf to function like a miniature pharmacy.

Late at night: find a duty or public night pharmacy

Korean pharmacies are privately operated, so opening hours vary.

If you need medicine:

  • Late at night
  • On Sunday
  • On a public holiday

use:

휴일지킴이약국

Use the Korean Pharmaceutical Association’s Holiday Keeper Pharmacy service to find pharmacies near you. Search fields can change; confirm the address and hours before travelling.

The system also provides a:

공공심야약국 — public late-night pharmacy

search.

Korea Tourism Organization recommends checking duty or late-night pharmacy information before traveling and confirming operating hours.

Call before traveling a long distance at night

A pharmacy may:

  • Change holiday hours
  • Close temporarily
  • Have different hours during major holidays

If the pharmacy is far away, call before traveling there.

This is especially useful on:

  • Seollal
  • Chuseok
  • Public holidays

Airport pharmacies can help with basic travel needs

Korea Tourism Organization currently notes pharmacy locations at major airports including:

  • Incheon International Airport
  • Gimpo International Airport

They can be useful if you suddenly need:

  • Basic OTC medicine
  • Motion-sickness products
  • Digestive products
  • First-aid items

Do not wait until after security or boarding to assume a pharmacy will still be accessible to you.

Check your terminal and pharmacy location first.

What about antibiotics?

Do not expect to walk into a Korean pharmacy and simply buy prescription-only medicine because you have used it before.

Many medicines that require clinical evaluation—including many antibiotics and other stronger treatments—fall under prescription-based use in Korea.

If you think you need one:

visit a clinic.

The doctor can determine whether a prescription is appropriate.

What if you forgot a chronic prescription medicine?

Prepare:

  • Medicine package
  • Active ingredient
  • Dose
  • Foreign prescription
  • Medical record

Then visit a clinic.

Tell the doctor:

  • How long you have taken the medicine
  • Why you take it
  • When you took the last dose

If appropriate, the doctor can decide on the Korean treatment and prescription.

Related AllThingsK8282 guide:
English-Speaking Clinics in Korea: Fees and Booking

Bringing medicine into Korea is a separate issue

Buying medicine at a Korean pharmacy and carrying prescription medicine across the border are not the same legal question.

This is especially important for medicines containing:

controlled narcotic or psychotropic substances.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety currently states that a person entering Korea with controlled medicines for personal treatment must obtain MFDS approval, regardless of nationality.

Online applications have been available since December 27, 2024.

If you use a controlled medicine, check the MFDS rules before traveling rather than assuming your overseas prescription alone is enough.

Pharmacy skincare is not all medicine

Korean pharmacies increasingly sell:

  • Dermocosmetics
  • Functional skincare
  • Supplements
  • Medical devices
  • OTC medicines

These categories are not interchangeable.

A product going viral as a:

“Korean pharmacy must-buy”

does not automatically mean it is a treatment appropriate for your medical condition.

If you are buying actual medicine, ask:

이거 의약품인가요?
Is this a medicine?

and:

주성분이 뭐예요?
What is the active ingredient?

Tourist tax refund at a pharmacy

Some Korean pharmacies in major tourist areas participate in tax-refund programs.

Use KTO’s current participating-pharmacy map to find a listed pharmacy, and confirm tax-refund service and eligibility with that pharmacy before visiting. Tourist areas to consider when planning a search include:

  • Myeongdong
  • Hongdae
  • Haeundae
  • Other major visitor areas

This does not mean every pharmacy purchase automatically qualifies.

If you are a tourist and tax refund matters to you, ask:

택스리펀드 돼요?
Is tax refund available?

Can you pay by card?

Many Korean pharmacies accept credit and debit cards.

VISITKOREA's current listings for pharmacies in major visitor areas commonly show card payment as accepted.

But a particular overseas card can still fail because of:

  • Issuer restrictions
  • Payment network issues
  • Store terminal conditions

Having another payment method available is useful.

When should you stop asking the pharmacist and see a doctor?

A pharmacy is useful for minor health problems.

It is not a substitute for medical evaluation when symptoms may be serious.

Seek medical care promptly for problems such as:

  • Difficulty breathing
  • Severe allergic reaction
  • Loss of consciousness
  • Severe or worsening chest pain
  • Major bleeding
  • Severe injury
  • Sudden major vision change
  • Severe dehydration
  • Symptoms that are rapidly worsening

For an emergency:

119

Related AllThingsK8282 guide:
119 in Korea for Foreigners: Ambulances, Interpretation, and What to Say

Useful Korean pharmacy phrases

Where is the pharmacy?

약국이 어디에 있나요?
Where is the pharmacy?

Do I need a prescription?

처방전이 필요한가요?
Do I need a prescription?

Can I buy this without a prescription?

처방전 없이 살 수 있나요?
Can I buy this without a prescription?

I have a headache

두통이 있어요.
I have a headache.

I have a sore throat

목이 아파요.
My throat hurts.

I have a cough

기침이 나요.
I have a cough.

I have a fever

열이 있어요.
I have a fever.

My stomach hurts

배가 아파요.
My stomach hurts.

I have diarrhea

설사를 해요.
I have diarrhea.

I have an allergy to this medicine

이 약에 알레르기가 있어요.
I am allergic to this medicine.

I take this medicine every day

이 약을 매일 먹어요.
I take this medicine every day.

How should I take this?

이거 어떻게 먹어요?
How do I take this?

Will this make me sleepy?

이 약 먹으면 졸려요?
Will this medicine make me sleepy?

Can I take this with my other medicine?

제가 먹는 다른 약이랑 같이 먹어도 되나요?
Can I take this with my other medicine?

A practical pharmacy conversation

You have a sore throat and cough.

Show the pharmacist:

어제부터 목이 아프고 기침이 나요.
My throat has hurt and I have been coughing since yesterday.

Then add:

열은 없어요.
I do not have a fever.

If you already took medicine:

오늘 이 약을 한 번 먹었어요.
I took this medicine once today.

Show the package or photo.

This gives the pharmacist much better information than saying only:

감기약 주세요 — Give me cold medicine.

Another example: you need a medicine you take at home

You show the pharmacist a photo of your usual medicine.

The pharmacist tells you:

처방전이 필요해요.

That means:

You need a prescription.

Do this:

  1. Keep the medicine photo and ingredient information.
  2. Bring your foreign medical records/prescription if available.
  3. Visit a Korean clinic.
  4. Explain your normal treatment.
  5. Take the Korean prescription to a pharmacy if one is issued.

Another example: it is midnight and the pharmacy is closed

You have a mild headache.

Options include:

  1. Search 휴일지킴이약국 or 공공심야약국.
  2. Call the listed pharmacy before traveling there.
  3. If no pharmacy is reasonably available, check whether a registered 24-hour convenience store carries an appropriate designated safety medicine.

If symptoms are serious rather than minor:

do not substitute convenience-store medicine for medical care.

A simple pharmacy checklist for foreigners

Before entering:

  • ☐ Main symptom identified
  • ☐ When symptoms started
  • ☐ Drug allergies known
  • ☐ Current medicines listed
  • ☐ Photo/ingredient of usual medicine available
  • ☐ Translation app ready if necessary

Before leaving:

  • ☐ I know how much to take
  • ☐ I know how often to take it
  • ☐ I know whether to take it before/after food
  • ☐ I asked about important interactions
  • ☐ I asked whether it causes drowsiness if relevant

The biggest mistake: treating a Korean pharmacy like a self-service drugstore

The pharmacist is part of the process.

You do not need to walk through the pharmacy trying to identify a medicine box from a TikTok video or foreign blog.

Tell the pharmacist:

the symptom

+

what you already took

+

allergies

+

important medical conditions.

Then ask what is available without a prescription.

Bottom line

Using a pharmacy in Korea as a foreigner is usually easier than it first appears.

Minor problem + OTC option available → ask the pharmacist.

Prescription-only medicine → visit a doctor first.

Foreign medicine → show the ingredient, not only the brand.

Language problem → use a translation app or medicine photo.

Late night → search 휴일지킴이약국 / 공공심야약국.

Convenience store → only a limited government-designated medicine selection.

Serious symptoms → seek medical care or call 119.

And perhaps the most useful phrase to remember is:

처방전 없이 살 수 있는 약이 있나요?
Is there a medicine I can buy without a prescription?

Related guide: Finding suitable hospital care in Korea.

Related AllThingsK8282 guides

  • Korean Pharmacies for Tourists: What You Can Buy Without a Prescription
  • English-Speaking Clinics in Korea: Fees and Booking
  • 119 in Korea for Foreigners: Ambulances, Interpretation, and What to Say
  • Food Allergies in Korea: How to Ask About Ingredients and Avoid Common Problems
  • Korea SIM vs eSIM vs Pocket WiFi: Tourist Guide

Official sources checked

Editorial note: This guide was checked against official Korean legal, health-ministry, tourism, pharmaceutical-association, and food-and-drug-safety information on October 3, 2026. Medicine classification and individual safety depend on the exact product, active ingredient, dose, medical condition, and other medicines you take. Ask a licensed pharmacist or medical professional about your own treatment.

Update — October 27, 2026: Added direct official links for prescription rules, designated safety medicines, pharmacy guidance, and controlled-medicine permits.

Updated October 29, 2026: Qualified the named tourist neighborhoods as search suggestions and linked KTO's current participating-pharmacy map. Individual pharmacy participation, tax-refund eligibility, language support and live opening hours still require confirmation; this was not a new review of every medicine or treatment.

Updated October 29, 2026: Added the displayed law-version effective date and actual source-check date for Article 50. This was not a new review of every medicine, treatment or pharmacy service.

Jin

Posted by Jin

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