Doctors, insurance and emergencies in Seoul

National Health Insurance

The National Health Insurance Service covers the population, and foreign residents are enrolled either through an employer from the first day of work, with contributions shared, or automatically as a local subscriber once they have stayed six months. Students are enrolled on arrival. Coverage is compulsory rather than optional, and local subscribers pay at least a set minimum premium, updated each year, even on a low income. Patients pay a share of the cost at the point of care and the scheme pays the rest, with an annual ceiling on out-of-pocket costs for serious illness.

• Employees are enrolled through payroll; others are enrolled by the NHIS after six months' stay.
• Unpaid premiums can block your visa extension, so set up automatic payment.
• Carry your ARC — it is what the clinic uses to look up your coverage.
• Dental, cosmetic and some dermatological treatments are largely outside the scheme.
• Enrolment rules for foreign residents have changed several times; confirm current rules with the NHIS.

How care is actually organised

The system runs on a tiered structure of small local clinics, mid-sized hospitals and large university hospitals. Local clinics are everywhere, open late, and you walk in. Large university hospitals want a referral and charge more without one, but they are where the serious work happens. Pharmacies sit next door to clinics and dispense against the prescription the doctor issues electronically.

• Small clinics are walk-in; university hospitals want an appointment and a referral.
• Prescriptions are dispensed at a separate pharmacy, usually in the same building or next door.
• Consultation times are short by Western standards — bring your questions written down.

Language and international clinics

English support varies sharply between a neighbourhood clinic and a major hospital. Several large Seoul hospitals run international healthcare centres with English-speaking coordinators and staff, which is the usual route for arrivals who want to be certain of being understood. They cost more than a local clinic and are still far cheaper than private care in most Western countries.

• Major hospitals in Seoul operate international clinics with English-speaking coordinators.
• Itaewon and Hannam have the highest concentration of English-speaking general practice.
• Translation apps handle a pharmacy well and a diagnosis badly.

In an emergency

119 summons an ambulance and the fire service; 112 is the police. Emergency departments at large hospitals are open around the clock and triage on arrival. Ambulance dispatchers can connect an interpreter, and the 120 Dasan call centre and the 1345 immigration contact centre answer questions in English. Emergency department capacity in Korea has been under strain, so for anything not genuinely urgent a local clinic in the morning is both faster and cheaper.

In order

1. 1Confirm whether your employer enrols you in NHI from day one; if not, carry private cover for six months.
2. 2Set up automatic payment of NHI premiums once you have a Korean account.
3. 3Choose an international clinic, or a local clinic near home, before you need one.
4. 4Keep your ARC on you: clinics use it to look up your cover.
5. 5Save 119, 112 and 1345.