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Buying Medicine in Korea: Pharmacies, Convenience Stores, Late-Night Options

Olive Young is not a pharmacy. It is a drugstore for cosmetics and toiletries — no fever reducer, no cold medicine. For actual medicine you want a 약국 (yakguk), marked by a green cross. The catch is that most Korean pharmacies close on Sundays, so the real question is when and where, not what.

Last checked: 2026-09-22·Desk-researched — not yet verified on site

  1. 1Pharmacy and drugstore are different shops

    Olive Young and Daiso sell cosmetics and household goods; they carry no medicine at all. Medicine comes from a 약국, marked with a green cross or the character 약. In tourist areas the two sit side by side, which is exactly why people walk into the wrong one.

  2. 2Opening hours — Sunday is the problem

    Weekdays roughly 09:00 to 20:00–21:00, later near hospitals; Saturday 09:00 to 17:00. Most close on Sunday, with a minority open noon to 18:00. Public holidays are closed by default. If you think you might need something over the weekend, buying it on Friday is the simplest fix there is.

  3. 3Nights and Sundays — late-night pharmacies

    City-designated late-night pharmacies run from 22:00 to 01:00. Seoul has 39 of them spread across all 25 districts. Search 심야약국 on Naver Map or KakaoMap to find the nearest. A licensed pharmacist is on duty, so you get the same advice and dispensing as in the daytime.

  4. 4Convenience stores — the 13 approved items

    What a 24-hour convenience store may sell is fixed by law at 13 items: five fever/pain products (Tylenol 500mg and 160mg, children's 80mg, children's suspension, children's Brufen syrup), two cold remedies (Pancol-A, Panpyrin-T), four digestives (Beaje, Dr. Beaje, Festal Gold, Festal Plus) and two pain patches. If it is not on that list, the convenience store does not have it.

  5. 5What needs a prescription

    Korea separates prescribing from dispensing: the doctor writes it, the pharmacist fills it, and the clinic does not hand you the drug. Antibiotics, sleeping pills, psychiatric medication, pseudoephedrine-based products such as Sudafed, strong painkillers, and blood-pressure, diabetes and cholesterol medication all need a prescription. Tylenol, ibuprofen and antihistamines like Claritin and Zyrtec are over the counter.

FAQ

It's Sunday night and I'm coming down with a cold.
A convenience store can sell you Pancol-A or Panpyrin-T, and Tylenol if you want a fever reducer. For anything beyond that, search 심야약국 in a map app, or call 1330 — the 24-hour tourist helpline, which will interpret for you and can point you to one.
Can I buy medicine at Olive Young?
No. Olive Young is a cosmetics and toiletries retailer and does not stock medicine. It is where you go for sheet masks and skincare; for medicine you need a pharmacy or a convenience store.
Can I bring my own medication?
Ordinary over-the-counter medication is usually fine, but amphetamine-based stimulants such as Adderall, and anything containing CBD or cannabis, cannot be brought into Korea. If you travel with prescription medication, carry an English prescription or a doctor's letter. Import rules are a legal matter and do change — check your specific medication against the Korean embassy or customs guidance before you fly.

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