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Seoul to maintain 24-hour emergency care system over Lunar New Year holiday

Published: 14 Feb. 2026, 07:00

People walk past the entrance to a pediatric emergency medical center at a university hospital in Seoul on Jan. 16, 2025. [NEWS1]

A total of 72 emergency medical institutions across Seoul will operate 24 hours a day during the Lunar New Year holiday from Monday to Wednesday. Among them, Seoul National University Hospital, Asan Medical Center and Severance Hospital in Sinchon will also run specialized emergency centers for pediatric patients.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Thursday that it will activate a 24-hour emergency medical response system during the holiday period to prepare for potential emergencies. Around 13,000 designated neighborhood clinics and pharmacies will also operate throughout the holiday to ensure that patients with mild symptoms can receive treatment.

The city plans to keep emergency medical services at general hospitals open around the clock during the holiday. A total of 72 hospitals will keep their emergency rooms open 24 hours a day during the holiday. These include 51 emergency medical institutions, including Seoul National University Hospital, National Medical Center, Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital, Seran General Hospital, Hongik Hospital and Seonam Hospital, and 21 hospitals that operate emergency rooms for initial treatment, including Sinchon Yonsei Hospital and CHA University Gangnam Medical Center.

A 119 emergency medical service ambulance is parked outside the emergency room of a university hospital in Daejeon on April 17, 2025, in this photo unrelated to the story. [KIM SEONG-TAE]

To help patients with mild symptoms access care more easily, an average of 2,656 neighborhood clinics and pharmacies will open each day. Seoul has designated two clinics — Seok Hospital in Songpa District, southern Seoul, and The Healthy 365 Medical Clinic in Yangcheon District, western Seoul — “urgent care centers,” which will provide treatment for patients with relatively milder conditions.

Four hospitals specializing in surgical departments will fully operate during the holiday: One Top Hospital in Gangseo District, western Seoul; Seoul Prime Hospital in Gwangjin District, eastern Seoul; Leaders Hospital in Gangdong District, eastern Seoul; and Yonsei Hospital in Mapo District, western Seoul.

Public health centers in 14 districts — Gangnam, Gangdong, Gangbuk, Gangseo, Gwanak, Guro, Nowon, Dobong, Dongdaemun, Mapo, Seocho, Seongdong, Seongbuk and Yongsan — will also provide outpatient services on Tuesday, which is Lunar New Year’s Day, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Several hospitals will provide 24-hour services for pediatric patients, including Seoul National University Hospital, Asan Medical Center and Severance Hospital in Sinchon. Eight additional hospitals — Seoul Medical Center; Hanyang University Seoul Hospital; The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital; Samsung Medical Center; The Catholic University of Korea, Eunpyeong St. Mary’s Hospital; Soonchunhyang University Hospital Seoul; Chung-Ang University Hospital and Ewha Womans University Seoul Hospital — will run around the clock. Pediatric patients with mild symptoms can also receive outpatient treatment at hospitals.

The logo for the Severance Hospital in Sinchon in Seodaemun District, western Seoul, is shown on June 27, 2024. [YONHAP]

To prepare for emergency situations involving high-risk pregnant women and newborns during the holiday, a 24-hour hotline will operate among related institutions. Participating medical institutions will secure standby beds in neonatal intensive care units and have specialists on call at all times to provide treatment and perform emergency deliveries.

Institutions participating in the hotline for high-risk mothers and newborns include the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the Seoul Metropolitan Fire & Disaster Headquarters and the metropolitan emergency operations center, as well as maternal and child medical centers in hospitals such as Seoul National University Hospital, Samsung Medical Center, Korea University Anam Hospital, Korea University Guro Hospital, Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital, Seoul Medical Center and Boramae Medical Center.

Information on medical institutions, including clinics and pharmacies, operating during the holiday will be available on the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s website containing comprehensive information for the 2026 Lunar New Year and on the websites of the city’s 25 district offices. It can also be accessed through the mobile app “Wrist Doctor 9988.” Residents may also call 120 or 119 without an area code for guidance.

“The Seoul Metropolitan Government will do its utmost to ensure that residents can spend the holiday with peace of mind without disruptions in medical services,” Cho Young-chang, the head of the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s citizens’ health bureau, said.

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.
BY HAN EUN-HWA [[email protected]]