Pharmacies Become a Must-Visit Stop for Foreign Tourists in Korea
Creatrip Team
20 days ago
Foreign visitors to Seoul are increasingly treating pharmacies as a key part of their trip, browsing Korean-made vitamins, over-the-counter remedies and beauty products. In busy areas like Myeongdong and Gangnam, many pharmacies display signage and information in Chinese and English and hire multilingual staff to cater to tourists. Popular purchases include nutritional supplements and familiar pick-me-ups like Bacchus (Korean energy drink). At the same time, medical tourism is shifting from one-time plastic surgeries to repeatable skin procedures such as laser treatments; dermatology clinics in Seoul now exceed 600, and many provide foreign-language guides and staff. Short-interval repeat visits—every few months to half a year—for follow-up beauty treatments are driving more return tourism, making pharmacy shopping and skin clinics a combined attraction for international visitors.
