How first aid, pharmacies, emergency numbers and travel insurance work if you get hurt or sick on a ski trip in Korea, including the 1330 interpretation line.
Nobody plans to get hurt on holiday. Still, if you twist a knee or come down with a cold, it helps to know how Korean resort first aid and the wider medical system work before you need them.
The short version: Korean healthcare is modern and quick, and you can get help in English if you know who to call.
The large resorts run a first-aid room at the base area during the season, and ski patrol covers the slopes. If you crash on the hill, patrol will bring you down by sled and take you to first aid. Staff there can assess the injury, splint it and tell you whether you need a hospital. For X-rays and anything more serious you may be sent to a clinic or hospital in the nearest town, which in Pyeongchang or Jeongseon can be a drive away.
Costs depend on what is done and where. Visitors without Korean national health insurance pay the full uninsured price at clinics and hospitals, usually up front by card, then claim from their travel insurer. Keep every receipt and ask for an itemized bill and a medical certificate (진단서) in English if you plan to claim.
Pharmacies are marked with a large 약 sign. Resort villages and the nearby towns usually have at least one, though hours in small towns can be short, especially on Sundays.
What visitors usually buy:
When the pharmacy is closed, convenience stores like CU and GS25 sell a short list of approved over-the-counter medicines, including basic painkillers, cold tablets and patches.
Buy it, and check the wording. Many basic travel policies exclude skiing and snowboarding or cover them only as an add-on, so look for "winter sports" by name. Check whether the policy covers off-piste riding (which is banned at Korean resorts anyway), helmet requirements, and medical evacuation.
119 is the emergency number for ambulance and fire. The service can connect a three-way interpretation line if you don't speak Korean.
1330 is the Korea Travel Hotline run by the Korea Tourism Organization. It operates 24 hours a day in English, Chinese and Japanese, among other languages, and can interpret between you and pharmacy or hospital staff.
112 is the police.
If your knee pops, your head hits the snow hard, or you feel dizzy, stop and go to first aid. A clinic visit costs far less than another day of skiing on an injury. Wearing a helmet, which every rental shop offers, is the simplest prevention. If you are new to the cold, our tropical-to-snow guide covers how to avoid getting run down.