The new rule, which took effect on Thursday, applies to medication intended for personal use including drugs prescribed or purchased overseas. It covers South Korean residents already taking medication, foreign nationals and international students bringing in medicines they have been taking abroad, and travelers returning home with medication bought during overseas trips.
The measure comes after complaints that legally prescribed medications were being held up by customs when travelers brought them into the country.
Under the new guidelines, travelers can carry enough medication for up to three months, depending on the prescribed dosage. For weight-loss treatments belonging to a class of medicines known as GLP-1 receptor agonists, for example, this amounts to up to 12 units.
The measure is expected to make it easier, particularly for people bringing in weight-loss drugs such as Mounjaro and Wegovy, as many South Koreans have traveled to neighboring countries including Japan, to purchase them because they are much more expensive at home.
The new rule, however, does not cover medications ordered from overseas and shipped to South Korea.
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