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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.

North and South Koreans speak and write the same language.  It is derived from the Ural-Altaic family, which also includes Turkish, Hungarian, Finnish, Mongolian, Tibetan and Japanese.  The written Korean language is called Hangeul, consisting of 10 vowels and 14 consonants.  King Sejong invented it in the 15th century.  Hangeul is considered easy to learn and write, contributing to Korea’s high literacy rates (98% over age 15).

Freedom of religion is guaranteed by the Constitution in Korea.  50.7 percent of Koreans follow a specific religious faith.  Followers of Buddhism and Protestants are in the highest numbers, followed by Catholics.  Other practicing faiths are Shamanism, Taoism, and Islam. Confucian tenets or Confucian doctrine is deeply embedded in many Koreans' lives, regardless of religion.

Seoul’s subway system is the eight-largest in the world.  The railway system includes over 4,000 passenger trains and 13,000 freight trains.  In 1998, the nation’s highways exceeded 2,000 km.  International airports serve 74 cities throughout the world.  Ocean liners, cruise ships, cargo ships and container ships are a frequent site at Korean ports.