Where to go at night or on a Sunday in Korea depends on two things: the time, and who is sick. Anyone can use the national emergency portal to find clinics that are open right now. For a child, there are also clinics designated to see children at night and on holidays. The portal says to call 119 for advice when you cannot tell how serious it is.
The search tools below have Korean-language screens. This guide gives the Korean label for each button you need to press. It also covers pharmacies, the Seollal and Chuseok holidays, and a change in who can designate children’s night clinics from December 2026.
Where to go depends on the time and who is sick
The table sends you to the right screen or phone number for each situation. The sections below explain each one.
| Situation | Where to look | Korean label |
|---|---|---|
| You need a clinic now | E-Gen hospital search, map tab | 병원 찾기 · 지도 |
| You are planning for a Sunday, a holiday or a late hour | E-Gen hospital search, general tab | 병원 찾기 · 일반 |
| A child is sick at night or on a holiday | The Moonlight Children’s Hospital list | 달빛어린이병원 |
| You only need medicine | E-Gen pharmacy search, or the late-night pharmacy list | 약국 찾기 |
| It is Seollal or Chuseok | The E-Gen holiday page, 129, or your area code plus 120 | 명절 연휴 응급의료 이용 안내 |
| You cannot tell how serious it is | Call 119 for advice | 119 |
If your case is not an emergency under the law, you pay the emergency room management fee (응급의료관리료) in full. The guide below explains when this applies.
Each E-Gen search page warns that opening hours can change. Call the clinic before you go.
How to find a clinic open right now
Screens verified October 2026 · National Emergency Medical Center, E-Gen portal
The National Emergency Medical Center (중앙응급의료센터) runs the emergency medical portal, E-Gen (응급의료포털). It opens without a login. Start from the main page, because the search opens from there.
Each result shows the distance, the type of place, the phone number and the address. Check for the label 현재 진료가능, which means “open now”. Some places also show 공휴일운영, which means “open on public holidays”. The portal notes that the map tab lists only places you can visit at the moment you search.
The health map in the first-visit guide has a similar box, 실시간 문 연 병원 (open now). You can use either one.
How to find a clinic open on a certain day or hour
To plan for a Sunday, a public holiday or a late evening, use the second tab, 일반 (general). It searches by day and hour instead of by the current moment.
The page itself says hours can change, and asks you to call 119 or the clinic before you go. Save two or three results on your phone ahead of time, then call one of them on the day.
How Moonlight Children’s Hospitals work
Rules verified October 2026 · Emergency Medical Service Act, Article 34-2 · Enforcement Rule, Article 21-2 · Ministry of Health and Welfare 2025 guideline
Article 34-2 of the Emergency Medical Service Act allows the government to designate night and holiday clinics for children (야간·휴일 소아 진료기관). The stated goals are to ease crowding in emergency rooms and to prevent gaps in care for children. The Ministry of Health and Welfare (보건복지부) calls these clinics Moonlight Children’s Hospitals (달빛어린이병원) in its operating guideline.
Until 9 December 2026, the Minister of Health and Welfare or a city or provincial governor (시ㆍ도지사) can designate them. From 10 December 2026, the head of a city, county or district (시장ㆍ군수ㆍ구청장) can also designate them. An amendment to Article 34-2 adds that level of government.
Open the Moonlight Children’s Hospital page and choose your region tab. The list shows each clinic’s phone number, and its status next to the name, for example 진료종료 (closed for the day). Press 상세보기 (details) for its hours on each day of the week and on public holidays.
How to find a pharmacy at night or on a holiday
E-Gen also has a pharmacy search, 약국 찾기 (find a pharmacy). It works like the hospital search, with a map tab and a general tab. In the general tab, the 영업요일 (business day) box includes 공휴일 (public holiday). The pharmacy hours come from the Korean Pharmaceutical Association (대한약사회).
At the top of the pharmacy page, you can download a list of pharmacies across Korea that stay open after 22:00. Look for 심야운영약국 목록 다운로드 (download the late-night pharmacy list). The file is in CSV format.
Some stores that open 24 hours a day, all year, are registered to sell a short list of medicines for minor symptoms (안전상비의약품) (Pharmaceutical Affairs Act, Article 44-2). For prescription medicine, you still need a pharmacist (Article 23).
What to do during Seollal and Chuseok
For Seollal (Lunar New Year) and Chuseok, the emergency portal has a separate page, 명절 연휴 응급의료 이용 안내 (emergency care during the holidays).
For a minor illness, the page lists places to visit in this order. First come clinics or hospitals on holiday duty (당직 병·의원). Next come emergency medical facilities (응급의료시설), then local emergency medical institutions (지역응급의료기관). For a child, some Moonlight Children’s Hospitals also open on holidays. Check each clinic’s days on the list.
When to call 119 for advice
Rules verified October 2026 · Act on 119 Rescue and Emergency Medical Services, Article 10-2
119 is not only for ambulances. The 119 emergency medical control centers (119구급상황관리센터) give guidance and advice to emergency patients. The law also lists advice for patients aged 18 and under (Article 10-2). The E-Gen holiday page gives the same message: when you cannot tell how serious it is, call 119 for advice.
If you do not speak Korean, you can still call. The guide below explains how an interpreter joins a 119 call.
This guide does not tell you which symptoms need an emergency room. That is a medical decision, and the 119 line can help you make it.
What to say at the counter
Use these when you call a clinic, a pharmacy, 129 or 120. Read the romanized line aloud. If you are there in person, show the Korean line.
Frequently asked questions
Official sources
Every rule and screen here comes from the pages below. Hours can change, so check the page and call before you go.