There's no telling when you may be coming down with something, and responding to a sudden medical issue is tricky late at night or in the wee hours. If it's serious, the best thing to do is call the 119 emergency services, but sometimes all you need is an aspirin to nurse your headache.
Most pharmacies in South Korea close at around 6 p.m. or 8 p.m. on weekdays, and around 1 p.m. or 2 p.m. on Saturdays, with a handful of stores taking turns opening on Sundays.
In a bid to fill gaps in the supply of late-night medication, regional governments have designated pharmacies that stay open after the conventional closing hours. There are also applications and websites that can help you see which stores are currently open, and which are run either by or in cooperation with the government.
Here are ways to find pharmacies open when everywhere else is closed.
Public late-night pharmacies
As of 2026, there are 240 pharmacies that have been designated as public late-night pharmacies under the rules attached to the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act. The number of these stores has expanded from 71 in 2022, which was when the state started subsidizing such projects run by local governments.
Late-night pharmacies are full-service, with the resident pharmacist available for basic inquiries in addition to purchases of the necessary drugs. They are open between 8 p.m. and 1 a.m. the next day.
Hours may differ by region, but they must be open for at least three hours in that time span. It's a good idea to check ahead to confirm their exact hours.
The 39 stores in Seoul, for instance, are open from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m., and are located across all 25 districts in the city. The name, location, phone number, and the days they are open after conventional hours can be found on the Seoul Metropolitan Government's website.
You can also access the Smart Seoul Map, and choose the "Gonggong Simya Yakguk" section.
The ones flagged in red are open late every day of the year, and the ones in blue are open late only on certain days of the week. Click on the flag to see the list of pharmacies, and click on the name to see the phone number, address and operating hours.
Lists of such facilities can be found on the respective pages of major regions, including for Gyeonggi Province, and Busan.
Related information can also be found on the Public Data Portal, although specific data is available only on the Korean-language version of the website.
Note that in Korea, pharmacy prices after 6 p.m. on weekdays (after 1 p.m. on Saturdays) and on Sundays and holidays are 30 percent higher than normal.
Finding a pharmacy open right now
If you badly need medication after even the public late-night pharmacies all close at around 1 a.m., you will need to find one that is open around the clock. Pharmacies open 24 hours are very rare, but you can find them via mobile apps and websites.
The "Huil Jikimi Yakguk" website by the Korean Pharmaceutical Association shows you which pharmacies are currently open. You can choose by city, province, district, and more specific locations.
Jeil Grand Pharmacy located near Nonhyeon Station in Gangnam-gu, southern Seoul, is open around the clock every day of the year.
The government's E-gen website (https://www.e-gen.or.kr) offers general information on emergency rooms, hospitals and pharmacies. Input the region, day, and time you wish to visit, and you can find out your options.
Of course, the pharmacies can help you only when your medical issue is not an emergency. In emergencies, if you speak Korean, you can consult the 129 call center for assistance.
If you do not speak Korean, call the 1345 immigration contact center for assistance in finding help, or call the 119 emergency hotline directly. The 119 center will provide interpretation in English and other widely-used foreign languages in Korea.
