The Green Cross Revolution: Why Korea’s Pharmacies Are the New Must-Visit Destinations for Travelers

[mediK / HEALTH IN NEWS] Foreign visitors to South Korea often stop in their tracks, blinking at the sheer number of glowing green crosses on every block. Pharmacies here aren’t tucked-away corners of shame where you slink in for cough syrup; they’re bright, welcoming emporiums where you can grab a basket, compare collagen masks, stock up on vitamin shots, and walk out with a bag of “drinkable IV drips” as casually as you’d buy milk from a convenience store. In recent years, the humble neighborhood yakguk has evolved into something far more ambitious—mega-chains, wellness showrooms, even Costco-style warehouse drugstores. Three standouts tell the whole story of where Korean pharmacy culture is headed.


1. Onnuri Pharmacy – The Ubiquitous National Chain

Since its founding in 1991, Onnuri Pharmacy (온누리약국) has grown into the country’s first and largest pharmacy franchise, with more than 2,000 locations and a commanding 68 percent share of the chain-pharmacy market. It’s the rare brand that feels as reliably Korean as Lotte Mart or Paris Baguette.

The beauty of Onnuri is consistency: whether you’re in downtown Seoul or a small coastal town on Jeju, the same clean design, rigorously trained pharmacists, and centralized marketing greet you. Its second superpower is an enormous private-label lineup—over 400 health supplements produced by its sister company, S&B, sold both in-store and on the chain’s own e-commerce platform, Onnuri Store.

Foreigners make a beeline for:

- Glukom fatigue-recovery ampoules (글루콤 피로회복 앰플), seven essential amino acids plus active vitamin B12 in a tiny glass vial—nicknamed “drinkable saline” by exhausted travelers.

- Topical acne creams, scar gels, and melasma treatments.

- House-brand red ginseng, probiotics, multivitamins, and omega-3s.

If you want the classic Korean chain-pharmacy experience, just look for the familiar green-and-white sign.

2. Optima Wellness Museum – Gangnam’s Pharmacy-Meets-Lifestyle Gallery

Tucked between Gangnam and Sinnonhyeon stations on one of Seoul’s busiest side streets, Optima Wellness Museum (옵티마 웰니스 뮤지엄약국, usually shortened to OWM) is less a drugstore than a 140-pyeong (roughly 5,000-square-foot) temple to self-care. Think museum-grade curation, biometric testing stations, and silent yoga classes—all under one roof.

Medications and supplements are displayed by health concern rather than alphabetically, so the “sleep,” “immunity,” or “skin regeneration” zones feel like browsing a very chic beauty boutique. Step onto the InBody machine or check your stress levels; the pharmacist uses the data to tailor recommendations. An AI system can even dispense personalized daily doses of supplements in sealed packets. Product labels appear in Korean, English, Chinese, and Japanese, making it a magnet for international visitors.

The hottest sellers among tourists:

- Rejuran-derived PDRN creams (바르는 리쥬란, “injectable-grade” regeneration in a tube).

- Acne and troubled-skin treatments.

- Centella asiatica (madecassoside) soothing and scar creams.

- High-potency collagen, vitamin C serums, and other functional beauty foods.

Come for the K-beauty haul; stay for the complimentary tea and the quiet realization that a pharmacy can feel like a spa.

3. Mega Factory Pharmacy – The Warehouse Revolution

When Mega Factory Pharmacy (메가팩토리 약국) opened in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, in early 2025, it sent a jolt through the industry. Picture Costco, but for cold medicine and wound dressings.

The cavernous 150-pyeong store hands you a shopping cart at the door. Fifty kinds of cold remedies, eighty varieties of pain-relief patches, thirty kinds of painkillers—more than 2,500 OTC drugs, bandages, and health gadgets are stacked high for self-service browsing. Prices can run 30 to 50 percent lower than neighborhood pharmacies, and there’s ample parking, so entire families treat weekend errands like a run to the wholesale club. Prescription-only drugs are still dispensed by pharmacists at the counter, but everything else goes straight into your cart.

Foreign shoppers load up on:

- Familiar standbys like Tylenol, antacids, and Salonpas-style patches.

- Fusidin ointment and hydrocolloid bandages (Mediform).

- Bottled energy tonics—Bacchus, Vita500, Lemona.

- Lutein, vitamin D, saw palmetto, and bulk-pack probiotics.

If your suitcase has room and your trip is nearing its end, this is where you stock the medicine cabinet back home.

Korea’s pharmacies have become unlikely cultural landmarks—part convenience, part beauty destination, part wellness laboratory. Next time you’re wandering Seoul or beyond, follow the green cross. You might leave with more than you expected, and feeling better than when you walked in.

Oh Ha Eun medi·K TEAM press@themedik.kr

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