Family medicine clinic in Seoul, for the grown-ups in your family

What our family medicine clinic in Seoul offers

Many expat families arrive in Seoul with a familiar picture of a family doctor: one person who knows everyone in the household and handles most everyday problems. In Korea, that role is often split between specialist clinics, which can make it confusing to know where each family member should go.

VEI Clinic offers family-style continuity for the adults in your household. Our medical director, Dr. HyunSung Park, is a board-certified internal medicine specialist, which is the specialty focused on adult health. He has treated patients in Korea since 2010, trained in the United States as a graduate of the State University of New York, and is ECFMG certified. All consultations are one-to-one and in English.

We want to be clear about scope. Dr. Park is not a pediatrician, and the clinic is set up for adult care. If you would like help for a child or teenager, please contact us before you come. We will tell you honestly whether it is something we can see, or suggest the kind of clinic that is better suited.

Care for every adult in the household

Different family members tend to need different things, and having one doctor who knows the household context saves a lot of repeated explanation.

• Partners: everyday illness, checkups, work physicals and long-term conditions
• Older parents living with you: blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol, thyroid and digestive care, with medicine reviews
• Relatives visiting from abroad: sudden illness, prescription questions and English notes for travel insurance
• Household-wide prevention: flu shots each season and hepatitis B vaccination
• Shared illnesses: when a cold, flu or stomach bug moves through the home, advice on who needs to be seen

Why an internal medicine specialist suits adult family care

Adults, and especially older adults, often have several conditions and medicines at once. An internal medicine specialist is trained to manage that combination: spotting interactions, deciding which tests are worth doing, and recognizing when a symptom points to something that needs a hospital.

For digestive problems such as reflux, abdominal pain or long-running bowel symptoms, Dr. Park's gastroenterology subspecialty adds depth. In clinic we can arrange blood tests, abdominal and thyroid ultrasound, and H. pylori and hepatitis B testing. We do not perform endoscopy or surgery, but we can refer you to a hospital and prepare an English summary to bring with you.

When elderly parents come to live in Seoul, we suggest an early visit to review their medicines and records. That way, if something changes later, there is already a doctor who knows their baseline.

Who this suits, and when to go elsewhere

Our family care suits expat and international households who want an English-speaking doctor in Gangnam for the adults, with continuity from visit to visit. It also suits Korean-English bilingual families who prefer to discuss medical matters in English.

It is not a substitute for a pediatrician, an obstetrician or an emergency department. Pregnancy care, gynecology exams and children's care are better handled by those specialists, and we are happy to point you in the right direction.

• Chest pain, severe breathlessness, fainting or sudden confusion: call 119
• Signs of stroke such as facial droop, arm weakness or slurred speech: call 119
• A child who is very unwell, floppy, hard to wake or struggling to breathe: call 119 or go to an emergency room
• Severe allergic reaction or heavy bleeding: call 119

Visits, costs and paperwork

Family members can be seen at separate appointments or one after another on the same day; just tell us when you message so we can plan time for each person. We are open Monday, Thursday and Friday 10:00 to 19:00, Tuesday until 20:00 and Saturday 10:00 to 16:00, closed Wednesday and Sunday.

If your family is enrolled in Korea's National Health Insurance, most medical consultations and many tests are covered with a co-payment. Some services are not covered. We explain the cost before any test or treatment, and each person can receive an itemized English receipt for expat or travel insurance claims.