TravelMedEvidence. Expertise. Safer travel.
/
All countries
🇰🇷

South Korea

East Asia · Asia · Physician brief

📝Draft — pending physician review
📝Draft — pending physician review. This brief was compiled from CDC, WHO, and EKRM/HealthyTravel sources (June 2026) and has not yet been verified by a clinician. Confirm specifics with a travel-medicine professional before relying on it.

Malaria

Low

Dengue

None

Yellow fever

None

Chikungunya

None

Vaccines

VaccineRecommendationReference
Routine vaccines

Make sure you are up-to-date on all routine vaccines before every trip — per the Swiss BAG schedule. These include:

BAG Impfplan
Hepatitis A

Recommended for most travelers, particularly those visiting smaller towns or rural areas or staying with friends and relatives. Note for Swiss travelers: Hepatitis A is not part of the routine Swiss BAG childhood schedule, so most adult travelers will need vaccination.

CDC Yellow Book
Hepatitis B

Consider per individual risk and stay duration. Routine in the Swiss childhood schedule since 1998 — younger travelers are usually covered.

CDC Yellow Book
Japanese encephalitis

Consider for travelers spending a month or more in rural areas, or shorter stays with significant rural/outdoor exposure during the transmission season (mainly summer and autumn). Not needed for typical urban or short-stay itineraries.

—
Rabies

Low risk; dogs are rarely infected and the main concern is wildlife. Consider for long stays or high individual risk (extensive rural/outdoor activity, work with animals, cavers — bats).

CDC Yellow Book
Typhoid

Consider for longer stays, those visiting friends and relatives, or travel to smaller cities and rural areas. Not needed for typical short urban itineraries.

CDC Yellow Book

Disease-specific guidance

Malaria

Low

Malaria risk is limited and seasonal (roughly March–December), confined to rural areas of the northern provinces near the demilitarized zone — parts of Gyeonggi and Gangwon provinces and rural Incheon. Only P. vivax occurs, with no documented drug resistance. Seoul and the usual tourist destinations have no transmission; mosquito-bite protection is generally sufficient for the limited-risk areas.

Species
P. vivax (100%)
Areas
Rural N. provinces near the DMZ (Gyeonggi, Gangwon, rural Incheon)
Season
March–December
No risk
Seoul and usual tourist destinations
Malaria risk areas in South Korea (CDC).

Yellow fever

None

No yellow fever risk in South Korea, and no vaccination certificate is required for entry, including for travelers arriving from yellow-fever-endemic countries.

General prevention

Food & water

Tap water in major cities is generally treated, but bottled or filtered water is a reasonable choice, and standard food-hygiene precautions still reduce the risk of traveler's diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid — most relevant outside large hotels and in smaller towns or rural areas.

Mosquito protection

Risk is generally low. In rural northern provinces and near the demilitarized zone, use dawn/dusk mosquito protection (DEET or picaridin repellent, long sleeves) against limited P. vivax malaria and Japanese encephalitis during the transmission season. For hiking and other rural outdoor activity, also take tick-bite precautions.

Sources

Based on CDC Travelers’ Health, CDC Yellow Book, and the Swiss Federal Vaccination Schedule (BAG). Always verify current recommendations before travel.

Visiting more than one country?

Build a combined itinerary and get merged recommendations across all destinations.

Plan an itinerary

This brief is for informational purposes and does not replace personalized medical advice.
Consult a travel medicine specialist 4–8 weeks before departure.