What to Buy at a Korean Pharmacy: A Pharmacist's Travel Kit

Visitors often ask me the same thing: "What should I pick up while I'm here?" Here's the kit I'd put together for a friend visiting Seoul, by situation. Ask us in store and we'll match products to you.

Long walking days

• Hydrocolloid blister patches: they cushion the blister and help it heal while you keep walking.

• Cooling gel patches or muscle-relief patches for tired legs and shoulders.

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Late nights and Korean drinking culture

• Korean pharmacies sell herbal and electrolyte drinks that people take before or after drinking. Many contain ingredients such as hovenia (헛개) or are simply rehydration drinks.

• Nothing replaces water, food and sleep. If you take regular medicines, ask us before combining them with alcohol or hangover products.

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Jet lag

• Get morning daylight and keep your first few meals at local times. Light is the strongest signal for your body clock.

• Ask us about gentle sleep-support options. Some sleep aids common abroad are regulated differently in Korea, and some don't mix with other medicines.

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Dry air and travel skin

• Barrier-repair creams and ceramide moisturizers for tight, dry skin on flights and in heated rooms

• Pimple patches for stress breakouts

• Sunscreen: Korean sunscreens are light and easy to wear every day

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A sensitive stomach

• Spicy food and new routines upset many visitors' digestion. We can suggest digestive aids and tell you when stomach symptoms need a doctor.

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Before you buy anything, tell the pharmacist about allergies, pregnancy, and any medicine you take daily. It takes ten seconds and prevents most problems.

Visit us

Gangnam Optima Jung Pharmacy · 338 Gangnam-daero, LUKA831 Building 1F, Unit 106 · 5 minutes from Gangnam Station Exit 4 · Mon–Fri 8 AM–9 PM, Sat 9 AM–5 PM, Sun 9 AM–2 PM · +82-2-6952-7831

Save this list before your trip. We'll help you choose in English.