Patients who fall ill during South Korea's Chuseok holiday can find open hospitals, clinics and pharmacies through the Emergency Ttokttok app or the National Emergency Medical Center's E-Gen website. An average of 8,294 medical facilities and pharmacies will operate each day of the holiday, which runs from the 24th through the 27th.
According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare on the 23rd, 416 emergency medical institutions will stay open around the clock as usual during the holiday. An average of 3,495 hospitals, clinics and public health centers will operate each day, along with 4,383 pharmacies. The daily count is 11,781 facilities on the 24th, 5,231 on Chuseok itself on the 25th, 8,472 on the 26th and 7,689 on the 27th, leaving the fewest options on the holiday itself.
Open hospitals, clinics and pharmacies can be checked on the Emergency Ttokttok and Emergency Medical Information Provision apps, the E-Gen website and local government websites. Information is also available through the ministry's 129 call center and the 120 call center run by cities and provinces. Because operating schedules can change, patients should call ahead to confirm a facility is actually seeing patients.
Those unsure where to go can use the Emergency Ttokttok app. Entering symptoms helps determine whether a visit to the emergency room is needed, and the app directs users with relatively mild symptoms to nearby hospitals and clinics. Patients with mild symptoms should visit a local clinic first; if a serious condition is suspected during treatment, medical staff can arrange a transfer to a higher-level facility.
Anyone with symptoms suggesting a serious condition — difficulty breathing, sudden numbness in the arms or legs, or slurred speech caused by tongue paralysis — should call 119 immediately. Paramedics will assess the severity and transport the patient to an appropriate emergency medical institution.
For pediatric care during the holiday, the ministry is also monitoring operations at 156 Moonlight Children's Hospitals and 14 pediatric emergency medical centers. Regional trauma centers in 17 areas nationwide will run emergency care systems prepared for specialized injuries such as severed fingers, and 29 regional and local cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease centers will maintain round-the-clock care. Mothers and newborns can receive nationwide transfer and transport support through the dedicated transfer team at the National Maternal and Child Medical Center.
Health and Welfare Minister Jung Eun-kyeong urged the public to use local hospitals and clinics rather than emergency rooms for minor conditions, saying the step is needed to prevent overcrowding in emergency departments during the Chuseok holiday.
