Being a woman in Korea is very important to know the basics when it comes to your sexual life. And even if it may sound embarrassing, we have all been in this situation before.
When you live abroad you may not be aware of the system, culture, or even prices when it comes to intimate life. So, we want to help all women to feel comfortable in Korea and to have all the information needed.
Condoms (콘돔)
Korean teenagers don’t have many opportunities to receive sex education and this may be an issue when having sex in this country. Since a lot of the boys refuse to wear a condom, or they are not used to doing so. You have to insist sometimes and it may be embarrassing for them to go to buy some. You can purchase condoms from every 24h open stores such as GS25, CU, and 7Eleven, and also in subways or some public toilets there are vending machines, some marts and pharmacies have these as well. The prices start at around 7,000 per pack, however, there are some cheaper brands in the vending machines in case you don't have money.
The Morning-after pill in Korea (사후 피임약)
In Korea, it is pretty hard to take the morning after pill because the process is totally different from any other country. Here you have to go to the hospital and after consultation, they will provide a paper for the pharmacy like a prescription to go and buy the pill. One thing to mention is that you have to pay a lot of money for this. Without insurance, the consultation is @20,000 KRW and the pill (which is not covered by insurance most of the time) is @28,000 KRW. Which makes it quite pricey.
The process is to find a gynecologist and go there asking for the pill. They will guide you to the doctor who will ask you a few questions, give you a prescription then buy the pill at the pharmacy.
One gynecology that we recommend would be: 연세더블유산부인과의원 합정점 (48, Yanghwa-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul)
Pregnancy tests (임신 테스트)
Most convenience stores such as GS25, CU, and 7Eleven do not carry pregnancy tests but it is worth checking them out anyway, and the small neighborhood marts do not have them either. Daiso does have them however it is written that not all locations stock them. Usually, pharmacies do carry them, and it is the easiest way is to go up to the pharmacist and ask them for an 임신검사 or 임신 테스트 (pregnancy test) or show them a photo of the test and they will help you. Also, they can be found at Homeplus or Emart, although they are located near the health and beauty section next to items such as condoms. You can also buy them online, although the prices tend to be higher than buying them in-store and you have to pay for shipping costs.
There are usually two options available, a strip version for W3,900 and a stick version for W7,500. There However the safest option is to see a gynecologist. The prices may vary depending on whether you have health insurance or not.
Ovulation test (배란 검사)
Ovulation tests will be sold at convenience stores and supermarkets like pregnancy tests. Daiso also does have them, however, it is written that not all locations stock them, so check in advance. Most of the time pharmacies are the best option and maybe the easiest. You can also buy them online. Prices vary from 5,000 to 30,000 KRW for the package.
Birth control pills (피임 약)
The most popular brands in Korea at the moment are called Mercilon (머시론) and Sense day (센스 에이) both being a monophasic oral contraceptive that contains 21 pills. There are tons of pharmacies in Korea, so if you’re ready to get your birth control, just go to the nearest closet to your home. The first time going to the pharmacy bring your previous birth control with you. In case you never used birth control, we suggest you ask the medic about it, but you can also just go and tell the pharmacist.
The 21-day pill pack costs 9,000 KRW and on the back of the pill pack, you’ll find written each day however this is just a recommendation for which day to take the pills since these pills are monophasic, which means that it delivers the same number of hormones every day, you don’t need to worry about taking the pills in a certain order, however, it is better to do so.
In case you use pills with a higher dosage of hormones those should be taken by prescription from a doctor. So, visit a clinic and ask them for a perception.
We hope this article helped you with information and don't forget to comment on your own experience and share it with us!
