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he number of physicians, nurses, dentists, pharmacists, and other health personnel and the number of hospitals and clinics have increased dramatically since the Korean War

In 1974 the population per physician was 2,207; by 1983 this number had declined to 1,509. During the same period, the number of general hospitals grew from 36 to 156 and the number of hospital beds tripled from 19,062 to 59,099

Rural areas had limited medical facilities, because in the past there was little incentive for physicians to work in areas outside the cities,

Some physicians and hospitals will not accept overseas health insurance and therefore may require you to pay up front; however, if you or your employer pay taxes then you are entitled to health insurance through your employer

no vaccinations are required to enter South Korea, but you should be sure your rabies and tetanus/diptheria shots are up-to-date, and vaccination for hepatitis

if you will be living in or spending significant time traveling in rural areas, a vaccination for Japanese encephalitis is recommended

MEDICAL FACILITIES AND HEALTH INFORMATION:  Hospitals in Korea are generally well-equipped with state-of-the-art diagnostic and therapeutic equipment.  High quality general and specialty dental care is available in Seoul.  Western-style medical facilities are available in major urban areas of Seoul, Busan, Daegu, and a few other large cities.  However, not all doctors and staff in these major urban areas are proficient in English.  Most clinics in rural areas do not have an English-speaking doctor.  A list of hospitals and medical specialists who speak English is available at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul or on the Embassy's web site at http://korea.usembassy.gov/health.html.

Pharmacies are first-rate and most prescribed medications, except psychotropic medications, can be obtained with a prescription.  Travelers taking any psychotropic or controlled medications should bring a sufficient supply as well as a copy of the prescription for Korean customs clearance at the airport. Korean ambulances do not carry sophisticated medical equipment and the ambulance personnel do not have the same level of emergency medical training as in the United States.  However, ambulances operated by the fire department (dial 119) will respond very quickly and take patients to the nearest hospital.  For medical evacuation to points outside Korea, SOS International is located in Seoul (tel: 02- 3140-1902, web site: www.internationalsos.com

Information on vaccinations and other health precautions, such as safe food and water precautions and insect bite protection, may be obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s hotline for international travelers at 1-877-FYI-TRIP (1-877-394-8747) or via the CDC’s Internet site at http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/default.aspx.  For information about outbreaks of infectious diseases abroad, consult the World Health Organization’s (WHO) web site at http://www.who.int/en.  Further health information for travelers is available at http://www.who.int/ith.