The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on Friday that it will operate emergency medical institutions, hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies so that citizens can use them if they are sick during the Lunar New Year holiday for the period from Jan. 21-24.

A total of 67 emergency medical institutions, including 31 regional emergency medical centers , 19 regional emergency medical institutions including Seonam Hospital in Seoul, and 17 hospitals operating emergency rooms, will open.

Major hospitals operating ER include  Seoul National University Hospital, Hanyang University Medical Center,  Korea University Medical Center, Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital, Samsung Medical Center, and Asan Medical Center.

Besides emergency hospitals, 1,682 other hospitals and clinics will also provide emergency medical services for the primary treatment of patients during the holiday season.

Additionally, 3,034 pharmacies nearby hospitals, and clinics will also be operating. Accordingly, a full list of the hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies that are operating during the holidays in the neighborhood can be found on Seoul Metropolitan Government's website, the website of Seoul’s 25 autonomous districts, and the Emergency Medical Portal.

The Dasan Call Center (120) and the emergency management center (119) will be available to answer inquiries and respond to emergencies.

Moreover, public health centers and temporary Covid-19 screening centers in the 25 autonomous districts will operate flexibly during the lunar new year holiday and thus the specific operating hours should be checked on the websites mentioned earlier. This service is also available for overseas entrants like Chinese visitors who must undergo a mandatory Covid-19 PCR test within one day of entry.

Additionally, two locations for medical counseling will be working 24 hours a day for patients whose Covid-19 symptoms worsen and might need a prescription that can be received over the phone. For elderly people aged 60 or older or other high-risk groups, health monitoring will be conducted at least three times during the quarantine period.

There will also be 195 entrusted medical institutions so that citizens can receive COVID-19 vaccinations even during the holiday season. More information can be found on the list of 2023 New Year's Comprehensive Measures. 

Korea Biomedical Review tried to reach out to Seoul Metropolitan Government to find out if there were any specific services that foreigners in Seoul could easily access if a medical emergency arises but could not get an answer.

However, the 119 emergency service operates in Korean, English, Chinese and Japanese and confirmed that they will be able to sufficiently guide foreigners accordingly if an emergency were to arise during the holiday period.