Pharmacists face new retail landscape as Korea weighs prescription drug delivery
As more pharmacies enter retail spaces, pharmacists warn that expanded telemedicine drug delivery could undermine patient safety and neighborhood care.
Pharmacists and pharmacy students rally against the proposed expansion of prescription drug delivery for telemedicine patients in Gwanghwamun, central Seoul, on Sept. 20.NEWS1
How Koreans buy medicine is changing — from new pharmacy formats to a government push to expand prescription drug delivery that has alarmed pharmacists.
On Sunday, two pharmacists in white coats alongside two staff members who can assist customers in foreign languages greeted shoppers at Musinsa Beauty Hongdae in Mapo District, western Seoul.
While fashion e-commerce platform Musinsa primarily sells cosmetics at the store, a pharmacy can be found on the basement floor. The pharmacy is run in collaboration between Musinsa and Onnuri Pharmacy, and displays pharmacy-exclusive cosmetics and over-the-counter medicines including cold remedies, fever reducers and painkillers. It does not dispense prescription drugs.
“It's nice to be able to browse and compare different products all in one place,” said a woman who visited the store with her mother.
These changes to where medicine is being sold are only part of a broader shift in how patients can access it. The government is also beginning discussions on expanding prescription drug deliveries following telemedicine consultations.
A sign directs shoppers to a pharmacy inside Musinsa Beauty Hongdae in western Seoul on Sept. 27.CHAE HYE-SEON
The Ministry of Health and Welfare said last month that it would discuss expanding prescription drug delivery — currently limited to certain vulnerable groups — to all patients receiving telemedicine consultations. Pharmacists worry that could make pharmacies dependent on online platforms, even paying commissions in exchange for access to patients.
Pharmacists have taken their opposition to the streets. Around 10,000 people, including 7,000 pharmacists and 3,000 pharmacy students, gathered in Gwanghwamun, central Seoul, on Sept. 20 for a rally, according to Korean Pharmaceutical Association estimates. It was the first such rally in eight years, since pharmacists protested plans to expand the range of over-the-counter medicines available at convenience stores in 2018.
“Medicines are by no means products that can be put in delivery boxes and tossed at people's doors in pursuit of convenience and corporate profits,” Kwon Young-hee, president of the association, said.
The backlash reflects broader unease within the pharmacy profession.
Pharmacists and pharmacy students rally against the proposed expansion of prescription drug delivery for telemedicine patients in Gwanghwamun, central Seoul, on Sept. 20.NEWS1
“There was already a growing sense that pharmacists' roles were under threat from recent changes in pharmaceutical consumption trends and advances in AI,” an industry source said. “The government's announcement that it would expand medicine delivery for telemedicine patients only added fuel to the fire.”
Pharmacists argue that combining telemedicine with drug delivery could lead to unnecessary prescriptions.
“On telemedicine platforms, the process is reversed,” Lee Yoon-pyo, the Korean Pharmaceutical Association's director of public relations and information technology, said. “Patients first choose the medicine they want and are then connected with a doctor who will prescribe it, which inevitably encourages misuse and overuse.”
Cases disclosed by the association included patients obtaining multiple prescriptions for antidepressants with a risk of misuse from several medical institutions over a short period. There was also a case in which a medical institution issued a prescription for roughly a 600-day supply.
Kim Baek-gun, president of the Korean Pharmacy Students' Association, speaks during a rally against the proposed expansion of prescription drug delivery for telemedicine patients in Gwanghwamun, central Seoul, on Sept. 20.KOREAN PHARMACY STUDENTS' ASSOCIATION
The Korean Physician's Association also called for the suspension of the telemedicine pilot program and stated that adequate safeguards are not working.
There are also concerns that neighborhood pharmacies could lose ground if patients turn to online platforms for prescriptions. The role of pharmacies goes beyond reviewing prescriptions; they also instruct patients on how to take their medication and serve as local health care hubs.
“If the only pharmacies that survive are those willing to dispense whatever medicine patients want, it could become difficult for pharmacists to exercise their professional judgment in reviewing prescriptions or properly counsel patients on medication use,” Kim Min-sung, secretary general of a pharmacists' group, said.
But there are also calls for the pharmacy profession itself to change.
“We need to discuss policies that strengthen the core functions of pharmacies, including proper medication counseling, so that people can better recognize the value pharmacists provide,” Kim Baek-gun, president of the Korean Pharmacy Students' Association, said in a phone interview with the JoongAng Ilbo.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
