I Need An Advil: The Korean Pharmacy

Something that people across the world can relate on is a trip to the pharmacy. Whether it is to refill your stock of Advil or to fill a prescription after a trip to the doctor, everyone has had the chance to experience a pharmacy in their hometowns. In Korea, however, the experience may be a bit different than you are used to. 

In Korean, pharmacies are called “약국” or yakguk. You can usually spot them in local neighborhoods by finding their sign with the word “약.”  

Here are a few key things you should know about pharmacies before your first visit. 

Pharmacy Choice Doesn’t Exist 

After receiving a prescription, most people are used to taking their prescription to their local pharmacy near their home; however, in Korea this isn’t something you are able to do. Each hospital prescribes medicine that is available only at the pharmacies within about a five block radius from the hospital. If you try to fill your prescription at a pharmacy outside of this area you will be turned away often because they won't be able to fill the prescription. While you may think this limits your options, in reality you still have a variety of choices, as for every hospital there are usually six to ten pharmacies within a five block radius, most times with two or more on the same block. 

Here is a map of the greater Seoul area—each blue dot is a pharmacy. So, while your choice is limited, you do have a variety of options in the area. 

No Medicine Bottles

Growing up in America, when receiving a prescription, it would come in a little paper pouch, with the familiar orange bottles with white lids. The pouch and the bottle would have the dose and when to take it written on it. 

In Korea, there are no bottles and no instructions except to take doses at breakfast, lunch, and dinner until all the packets are gone. Medicine is dispensed into single dose packets labeled with the time of day you need to take them. 

Above is an example of the way pills are packaged. The images on the packaging will vary by pharmacy, but they will always come in these little pouches. Then, these pouches are slipped into an envelope-like packet that has all of the information about your medicine on them. They also double as a receipt. 

These are actual blister packs I currently have; the pink one is Ibuprofen and the purple one is my allergy medicine.   

Tell Me What Bothers You: Non-Prescription Medicine 

In America, anything from aches to the sniffles could be fixed with a trip to your local drugstore’s medicine aisle. In Korea, you can go to any pharmacy and describe what your symptoms are and they will be able to pull the right medicine for you from behind the counter. 

Instead of bottles, any medicine you’d receive in Korea is in blister packs with around ten doses. 

If you already know what medicine you need, it's important to know what the drug name is, not the brand name because some medicines are listed under different names. While Advil and Tylenol are easily found, they are often marked up in price due to the foreign branding. Asking for their drug names Ibuprofen and Acetaminophen instead will get you the same medicine for a lot less.  

Something surprising is that some medicines that are prescription only in America are over-the-counter in Korea—the biggest shock of all being birth control. However, emergency contraceptive is only dispensed with a prescription. 

The Price Will Always Shock You 

The biggest thing that surprises everyone is the cost of medicine. Over-the-counter medicines are between $2-$12 U.S. dollars while prescription costs can vary. To give an idea, I once had to take two weeks of medicine which included four different pills. The total cost with insurance was around $11 U.S. dollars. Without insurance, it would have been slightly more at approximately $25 U.S. dollars. For many who are used to paying upwards of $30 U.S. dollars for one medicine, seeing these costs are a breath of fresh air. Rest assured that if you need to grab medicine while in Korea, you won’t break the bank. 

Final Thoughts

Whether living in Korea or visiting, you never know when you may need to take a trip to your local pharmacy. Hopefully these little facts will make it an easier experience.