Ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday, the South Korean government is urging patients with minor ailments to visit local clinics first to prevent overcrowding at emergency rooms. The message is clear: emergency rooms should be reserved for severe cases.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced Sunday that approximately 9,600 hospitals and clinics will operate daily on average during the holiday period from January 14 to 18, while maintaining the emergency medical system at normal levels. All 416 emergency medical facilities nationwide will provide round-the-clock care throughout the holiday.
The ministry advised that patients feeling unwell during the holiday should first visit nearby local clinics. When minor cases flood emergency rooms, treatment for severe emergency patients can be delayed. If a serious condition is suspected at local facilities, patients can be quickly transferred to higher-level hospitals.
For those uncertain whether their condition constitutes an emergency, the "Emergency Smart" mobile application is available. Users can input symptoms to determine if an ER visit is necessary, with the app providing location-based information on open clinics, emergency rooms, and pediatric night hospitals. Information on available medical facilities is also accessible through the Health and Welfare Call Center (129), municipal call centers (120), and the 119 Emergency Management Center. Symptoms suggesting severe conditions—such as difficulty breathing, sudden numbness in limbs, or speech impairment—require immediate calls to 119.
The ministry is also strengthening coordination across medical sectors to minimize healthcare gaps during the holiday. The 17 regional trauma centers will operate emergency response systems for specialized trauma cases including finger amputations. Maternal-infant transfer support teams will assist with transfers of mothers and newborns. Regional cardiovascular disease centers will maintain 24-hour operations, along with 134 pediatric night hospitals and 12 specialized pediatric emergency medical centers.
To prevent gaps in transporting severe emergency patients, cooperation between the 119 Emergency Management Center and regional emergency medical situation rooms will be reinforced. Doctors aboard medical helicopters and dedicated critical patient ambulances will remain on standby. The ministry and the National Emergency Medical Center will operate a 24-hour situation room, with 45 Disaster Medical Assistance Teams on constant alert for mass casualty incidents.
"We ask that patients with minor conditions use nearby clinics first so that emergency medical staff can focus on treating severe emergency patients," said Lee Jung-kyu, Director General for Public Health Policy at the Ministry of Health and Welfare.