How to Buy Medicine in Korea at a Convenience Store: All 13 OTC Items

## Can you buy medicine in Korea without going to a pharmacy? Yes, at a convenience store Korea lets registered 24-hour convenience stores sell exactly 13 over-the-counter products, so you can buy medicine in Korea at 2 a.m. even when every pharmacy nearby is shut. The list covers fever and pain relief, cold medicine, digestive aids, and pain patches. You can only take one package per visit, and staff cannot sell to anyone under 12. I have used this system more times than I would like to admit, and knowing the exact 13 items saved me a miserable night in Busan. Here is the full list, the rules, and when you should still hold out for a real pharmacist. ## What is the convenience store medicine system in Korea? It is called 안전상비의약품 (anjeon sangbi uiyakpum), which translates roughly to "safety household medicine." Korea launched it in November 2012 so that people could buy medicine in Korea outside pharmacy hours, and the program is run under the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Here is what that means in practice. A convenience store cannot just decide to stock painkillers. The store has to register with the local public health center, operate 24 hours a year round, and the staff must complete training first. So not every CU, GS25, 7-Eleven, or Emart24 carries medicine. Roughly speaking, the ones near residential blocks and stations do; the tiny ones inside office buildings often do not. The tell is a small green and white sign on the door or by the counter reading 안전상비의약품 판매업소. If you see it, they have the box behind the register. If you do not, walk to the next branch, because staff will not sell you anything they are not registered for. | Category | What it treats | Number of items | |---|---|---| | Fever reducer / pain relief | Headache, fever, body aches | 5 | | Cold medicine | Runny nose, sore throat, chills | 2 | | Digestive aid | Bloating, heavy stomach, indigestion | 4 | | Pain patch | Muscle strain, stiff shoulders, back pain | 2 | ## Which 13 medicines can you actually buy at a Korean convenience store? The list is fixed nationwide, so a store in Jeju stocks the same products as one in Seoul. Memorize two or three names and you can buy medicine in Korea anywhere without speaking a word of Korean. | Korean name | What it is | Use it for | |---|---|---| | 타이레놀정 500mg (8정) | Tylenol 500mg, 8 tablets | Adult headache, fever | | 타이레놀정 160mg (8정) | Tylenol 160mg, 8 tablets | Milder pain, smaller adults | | 어린이용타이레놀정 80mg (10정) | Children's Tylenol 80mg tablets | Kids 12 and over only at stores | | 어린이타이레놀현탁액 (100ml) | Children's Tylenol suspension | Liquid fever reducer | | 어린이부루펜시럽 (80ml) | Children's Brufen (ibuprofen) syrup | Fever with inflammation | | 판콜에이내복액 (30ml x 3) | Pancol A liquid cold remedy | Runny nose, sore throat | | 판피린티정 (3정) | Panpyrin T tablets | Cold symptoms, chills | | 베아제정 (3정) | Bearse digestive enzyme tablets | Heavy, greasy meals | | 닥터베아제정 (3정) | Dr. Bearse tablets | Stronger indigestion relief | | 훼스탈골드정 (6정) | Festal Gold tablets | Bloating after eating | | 훼스탈플러스정 (6정) | Festal Plus tablets | General indigestion | | 신신파스아렉스 (4매) | Shinshin Pas Arex patches | Muscle and joint pain | | 제일쿨파스 (4매) | Jeil Cool Pas patches | Sprains, hot swollen areas | Notice what is missing. No antihistamines, no antibiotics, no diarrhea medicine, no motion sickness pills, no eye drops. Those all require a pharmacy. If your problem is allergies or an upset stomach that is not simple indigestion, the convenience store cannot help you and you need to plan around pharmacy hours instead. ## What are the rules when you buy medicine in Korea at a convenience store? One package per purchase, no sales to children under 12, and no advice from the cashier. Those three rules cover almost every situation you will run into. The one-package limit is written into the Enforcement Rule of the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act, and a seller who breaks it faces a fine. So do not expect to stock up. If you want two boxes of Tylenol, you buy one, and the second one has to wait for a pharmacy. I once tried to grab two packs of patches before a hiking trip and the clerk politely refused, which honestly made me trust the system more. The age rule catches families off guard. Children's Tylenol is on the list, but the store still cannot sell it to a customer under 12. A parent buying for a child is fine. A 10 year old sent to buy their own medicine is not. And here is the part travelers underestimate: convenience store staff are not pharmacists and are not allowed to give dosage advice. They point at the box. Everything you need is printed on the package in Korean only, so photograph the box and run it through a translation app before you take anything. If you want an actual conversation about symptoms, you need a pharmacy, and our guide on [what to say at a Korean pharmacy](https://beautydir.co/what-to-say-korean-pharmacy-phrases-prescription-rules) has the phrases for that. ## When should you skip the convenience store and find a real pharmacy? Go to a pharmacy whenever your symptom is not on that 13-item list, when the problem has lasted more than two or three days, or when you are already taking prescription medicine. The convenience store option is a bridge, not a replacement. Some numbers that help you plan. Korean pharmacies typically run 9 a.m. to 6 or 7 p.m. on weekdays and close early on Saturdays, and most shut on Sundays and public holidays. To cover the gap, the Korean Pharmaceutical Association runs a rotation of 휴일지킴이약국 (holiday duty pharmacies), and the government designates 심야약국 (late-night pharmacies) that stay open past 10 p.m. As of 2026 there are around 240 late-night pharmacies nationwide, with 39 spread across all 25 districts of Seoul. That is genuinely useful, but 39 for a city of nearly 10 million means you may still be a taxi ride away at 1 a.m. My own experience with this: I came down with a fever on a Sunday in Gangneung, and the nearest open pharmacy was 25 minutes away by bus. The convenience store two blocks down had Tylenol 500mg for about 3,000 won. It got me through the night, and I saw a pharmacist properly on Monday morning. That is exactly the use case this system was designed for, and it is the right way to think about it. For finding the real thing, the [E-gen emergency medical portal](https://www.e-gen.or.kr/) run by the National Emergency Medical Center lists pharmacies open right now near your location, and searching 심야약국 or 24시 약국 on Naver Map or KakaoMap works well too. You can also call 1339, the 24-hour medical information line, which offers support in several languages. We break the whole process down in our [24-hour and weekend pharmacy guide for Seoul](https://beautydir.co/24-hour-weekend-pharmacy-seoul-buy-medicine-guide). One more honest caveat. Consumer groups in Korea have criticized how loosely the program is monitored, with reports of stores selling more than one package or skipping the required warnings. That does not make the medicines unsafe, but it does mean you should not treat the cashier as any kind of safety check. Read the box yourself, and if you are pregnant, on other medication, or managing a chronic condition, wait for a pharmacist. ## What should you pack so you never need this at all? If you bring your own antihistamine, anti-diarrheal, and rehydration salts, you cover the three gaps the convenience store list leaves open. Those are the exact items people end up hunting for at midnight. I keep a small pouch with loperamide, cetirizine, oral rehydration powder, blister plasters, and my regular prescriptions in original packaging with a copy of the prescription. That last part matters at customs. Everything else, including painkillers and cold medicine, I now buy locally because it is cheap and the convenience store fallback exists. A pack of Tylenol runs roughly 3,000 to 4,000 won and Pancol A about 3,000 won, which is usually less than the excess baggage math of hauling it from home. If you are still building your kit, our [travel medicine kit guide for a Korea trip](https://beautydir.co/travel-medicine-kit-korea-trip-what-to-pack-vs-buy-pharmacy) walks through what is worth packing versus what to buy after you land. ## Frequently asked questions

Do all convenience stores in Korea sell medicine?

No. Only stores that are registered with the local public health center, operate 24 hours all year, and have completed the required staff training may sell the 13 approved items. Look for the 안전상비의약품 sign near the entrance or the counter. Stores inside office buildings, subway stations, and university campuses frequently are not registered, so check before you rely on one.

Can I buy allergy medicine or antibiotics at a Korean convenience store?

No. The approved list only covers fever and pain relief, cold remedies, digestive aids, and pain patches. Antihistamines, antibiotics, anti-diarrheals, motion sickness pills, and eye drops all require a pharmacy, and antibiotics additionally require a doctor's prescription. If allergies are your issue, plan around pharmacy hours or bring your own supply.

How much does convenience store medicine cost in Korea?

Expect roughly 3,000 to 5,000 won per package depending on the item. Tylenol 500mg in an 8-tablet pack typically runs about 3,000 to 4,000 won, and pain patches are similar. Prices are slightly higher than at a pharmacy because of the small pack sizes, but the difference is a few hundred to a couple of thousand won, which is a fair trade at 3 a.m.

Do I need a prescription or ID to buy medicine in Korea at a convenience store?

No prescription is needed for the 13 approved items, and there is no ID requirement for adults. Staff may refuse a sale if you look under 12, since that age restriction is legally enforced with fines for the seller. Bring your passport for pharmacy visits anyway, as some pharmacies ask for it when handling prescriptions.

Is the packaging in English?

Almost never. Boxes and inserts are in Korean, and even widely recognized brands like Tylenol carry Korean-language dosage instructions. Use your phone camera with a translation app before taking anything, and pay particular attention to the maximum daily dose and the interval between doses. When in doubt, wait for a pharmacy where someone can explain it.

## Sources and references - [Ministry of Health and Welfare: Safety Household Medicine Out-of-Pharmacy Sales System](https://www.mohw.go.kr/menu.es?mid=a10702040200) - [Korea Policy Briefing: 13 approved convenience store medicine items](https://www.korea.kr/briefing/policyBriefingView.do?newsId=148735756) - [Gongju Public Health Center: current list of convenience store safety medicines](https://www.gongju.go.kr/health/sub05_07.do) - [Docdocdoc: one-package limit and under-12 sales ban under the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act](http://www.docdocdoc.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=114541) - [The Korea Times: What to know about Korean pharmacies](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/amp/lifestyle/trends/20260331/what-to-know-about-korean-pharmacies) - [E-gen National Emergency Medical Center portal](https://www.e-gen.or.kr/) For more symptom-by-symptom guides on how to buy medicine in Korea, browse [BeautyDir Pharm](https://beautydir.co/). And if you take one thing from this: find the registered convenience store near your hotel before you need it, not while you are shivering at midnight.