- a good half-a-Century after its North-South war : South Korea has developed into Earth’s foremost developed nation, thus its citizens enjoying quite a convenient and advanced medical care system . now a large portion of medicine are local where it used to be predominantly German and American . drugstores in the airport and major shopping districts would suffice for the traveler, but if you live here would help to know a couple in your neighborhood as each have a line of ailments they recommend .
only TWO large general hospitals serve the foreign residence districts of YongSan, iTaewon, HanNamDong and the French-dominant BanPo : each immediately on opposite sides of the miraculous Han River where the old downtown SEOUL and the newer riche KangNam area disect . both are also University hospitals which tend to be the largest in South Korea aside from those operated by conglomerates .
but before you proceed further you should know a few points about South Korean medical institutions including drugstore, doctors and hospitals currently in effect by law :
- general medicine is sold at drugstores with a green +cross sign,
- doctors’ clinics nor hospitals cannot sell medicine directly although there are exceptions – but issue prescriptions with which you can purchase medicine at a near-by drugstore . it is best to go to a drugstore geographically closest or even if, in the same building as not all drugstores carry your specific medicine . officially two copies of prescriptions are made : one for you and the other for the drugstore, but smaller institutions may give you just one for the drugstore, where you can ask for your own copy .
- you cannot go directly to a large general hospital, but instead must have a recommendation slip issued from a smaller local doctor or private clinic – none who will decline if they deem you need such treatment . an exception is if you first reserved through an emergency room at that specific hospital .
- emergency rooms at hospitals charge W40,000 ~60,000 just to be admitted and then go on from there . aside being quite expensive, most have proven system for patients to go through each steps from diagnosis to treatment, even in a crowded state .
SOON CHUN HYANG UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL ≫English website≪
is the ONLY large general hospital in the Capital’s expatriate district South of NamSan (South Mountain). does NOT have a subway station in immediate vicinity thus bus recommended and taxis would know it by name since it is an old hospital although deep in an alley . in a large map it is located on the Northern bank of HanNam Bridge, before you cross over onto KangNam from old downtown SEOUL .
- Bus :
- they have their own shuttle bus to-and-from a triangular area forming :
- SEOUL Subway Line 6 HanGangJin Station Exit 3 and at the next Right corner,
- UN Village
- SEOUL Central Subway Line HanNam Station Exit 1
every 30 minutes from 8:35am to 5:35pm, Monday through Friday except Holidays and lunch time 12:30~1:35pm.
(map and schedule LINK in Korean) - YongSan Village Bus No.1 also begins and ends right in front of Soon Chun Hyang Hospital making the West-ward tour (where-as their shuttle bus does the East-side) with the same HanNam Station but also all around Capital, Crown, Hamilton and IP Boutique Hotels . also stops at Subway Line 6 iTaewon Subway Station Exit 3 and IN the next alley to your Right
- SEOUL bus lines 421 and 2016 then stop at the Southern entrance of their alley
- while many buses from downtown SEOUL going to-and-from KangNam and even the satellite city of BunDang, stop at HanNam bus station which is 10-minutes walk East from the hospital
- they have their own shuttle bus to-and-from a triangular area forming :
- the ONLY subway within walking distance is SEOUL Central Line Exit 1 and heading East for about 10 minutes, then turning Left BEFORE the over-pass crossing, (stright ahead up-hill will lead you to UN Village entrance)
the fact that this hospital is located in a rather small two-way street with no immediate subway station is a minus, but this also means there are so many choices of eateries in its surrounding alleys .
SEOUL ST.MARY’S HOSPITAL ≫English website≪
in contrast this much larger hospital is located across a large street from SEOUL’s second multi-shopping complex dubbed Central City, after ShinSeGae Department Store and Marriott Hotel was added on the West-Wing to the existing BanPo Express Bus Terminal – also a subway hub where Lines 3, 7 and 9 intersect .
as this whole area is where KangNam real estate BOOMED over 1980’s : it consists of large buildings, so no place to eat around aside from Central City Mall mentioned above, although the mammoth hospital has quite a variety of restaurants and even a 7-11 under-ground, most open 7am~9pm though .
– New Years 2014, iTaewon BLog –