Asia and Oceania

Korea (Republic of)
Still current at: 25 November 2009 Updated: 23 November 2009

This advice has been reviewed and reissued with amendments to the Summary (removal of references to underground nuclear test in North Korea and funeral of Roh Moo hyun), the Armistice Agreement section (toning down of rhetoric). The overall level of the advice has not changed.

(see travel advice legal disclaimer)

Travel advice for this country

Health

Medical and dental care in South Korea is usually of a good standard but can be expensive. Staff often do not speak English.

In the 2008 Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic the UNAIDS/WHO Working Group estimated that around 13,000 adults aged 15 or over in South Korea were living with HIV; the prevalence rate was estimated at less than 0.1% of the adult population. This compares to the prevalence rate in adults in the UK of around 0.2%. You should exercise normal precautions to avoid exposure to HIV/AIDS. For more general information on how to do this see our HIV and AIDS page.

You should seek medical advice before travelling to South Korea and ensure that all appropriate vaccinations are up-to-date. For further information on vaccination requirements, health outbreaks and general disease protection and prevention you should visit the websites of the National Travel Heath Network and Centre (NaTHNaC) and NHS Scotland’s Fit for Travel or call NHS Direct on 0845 46 47.

For more general health information see our Travel Health page.

Swine Flu

There have been confirmed human cases of A (H1N1) - swine influenza in South Korea. The World Health Organisation (WHO) Pandemic Threat AlertPhase is at Level 6. The WHO website has further details. You should monitor local media reports for any developments and advice. There is a dedicated Swine Flu page on the FCO website. Guidance on pandemic flu is also available on the UK Department of Health website. The responsibility for deploying resources to combat and cascade warnings about swine flu now rests with local governments so travellers may want to check the current advice with the regional authorities in the areas they are travelling or plan to travel to.

You should monitor local media reports for any developments and advice. Yonhap’s website in English can provide information, but the following Korean sites may at times be more up to date: Yonhap (Korean Language), and KBS. The Korean government’s main website on the flu outbreak is the Korean Centre for Disease Control.

Avian influenza (bird flu)

There have been outbreaks of avian influenza (bird flu) in domestic poultry across South Korea since 1 April 2008. The initial outbreaks were concentrated in poultry farms and livestock markets in rural areas, but more recently outbreaks have also been found in urban areas. The Korean authorities have held extensive culling exercises and established poultry quarantine zones and movement controls around the outbreaks. The Korean authorities are on the alert for any further outbreaks. No human infections or deaths have been reported.

The risk to humans from avian influenza is believed to be very low. As a precaution you should avoid visiting live animal markets, poultry farms and other places where you may come into close contact with domestic, caged or wild birds; and ensure poultry and egg dishes are thoroughly cooked.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned of the possibility that the avian influenza outbreaks could lead at some point to a human flu pandemic, if a virus mutates to a form, which is easily transmissible between people.

For more information please visit our Avian and Pandemic Influenza page.