🧭 Travel Insurance for Korea: Why You Need It and What to Check

You are not covered by Korean health insurance

Short-term visitors are exempt from Korea’s National Health Insurance, which mainly covers foreigners who stay longer than six months. As a tourist you should normally be ready to pay at the time of treatment, unless your insurer has arranged direct billing with the hospital.

VisitKorea advises visitors to contact their medical provider or insurance company about international or travel insurance.

What a policy should cover

Check that it covers medical treatment and hospital stays, emergency evacuation, lost or delayed baggage and trip cancellation. Read the exclusions for activities such as hiking in remote mountains or skiing.

Keep your receipts and ask hospitals for the documents your insurer will want.

Local programs for foreign visitors

Seoul launched a travel insurance program in April 2025 for group tourists from abroad who book through domestic travel agencies, and for stopover travelers at Incheon who visit Seoul for over 24 hours. Cover includes up to ₩100 million for death or disability from injury and ₩20 million for illness.

Gyeonggi-do began enrolling foreign visitors to the province automatically in March 2025, with medical treatment of injuries up to ₩1 million. These programs are small safety nets, not a replacement for your own policy.

If you need care in Korea

Call 119 for an ambulance and 1330 for help finding a hospital that speaks your language. Many large hospitals have international health care centers with interpreters.

Prices, schedules and entry rules change. The figures below are approximate and reflect information available when this guide was last reviewed; always confirm with the official source before you travel.