Travel insurance & safety checklist for Korea

What travel insurance usually covers

• Emergency medical treatment and hospital stays while you are abroad.
• Medical evacuation or returning home, on some plans.
• Lost, stolen or damaged belongings, up to a limit.
• Flight delays and cancellations, on some plans, up to a limit.

Limits, waiting periods and exclusions differ a lot between plans. Read the policy wording, not just the summary.

What it often does not cover

• Cosmetic, aesthetic and other elective procedures — and complications that follow from them. Many policies exclude these, and some also exclude trips taken mainly to get medical or cosmetic treatment.
• An illness or injury you already had before the trip, unless the policy says otherwise.
• Activities the policy lists as risky.
• Belongings left unattended.

Salon services such as hair, nails and lashes are not medical procedures. Skin, injection and other clinic treatments are medical — those are the ones insurers most often exclude. Check what your own policy says before you rely on it.

Before you buy — four questions

• How much medical cover is there, and does it include hospital stays?
• How do claims work in Korea? Many hospitals here may not bill a foreign insurer directly, so you may need to pay first and claim afterwards. Ask what documents you will need — receipts and, if possible, a medical report in English.
• What are the limits for belongings and for flight delays?
• What does the policy say about cosmetic or elective treatment, and about travelling in order to get treatment?

Some plans can be bought after you have left home, but they may have a waiting period and will not cover something that has already happened. If you can, buy before you travel.

If something goes wrong

• Emergency (ambulance, fire): 119. Police: 112.
• Korea Tourism Organization travel helpline: 1330 — information and interpreting help in English, Japanese, Chinese and other languages, 24 hours a day.
• Keep receipts, a doctor's report and photos, and contact your insurer's assistance line as soon as you can.
• For a complaint about a medical clinic, the Korea Medical Dispute Mediation and Arbitration Agency and the Medical Korea Support Center take enquiries from international patients.