'Medical Zones' to Open at Seoul Yeoksam and Jongno 3-ga Stations... Clinics and Pharmacies Together

Convenient Medical Treatment and Prescription Services Inside Subway Stations... Medical Services During Vulnerable Hours Like Holidays and Late Evenings
Creating Medical Zones in Easily Accessible Subway Stations and Expecting to Alleviate Construction Financial Difficulties Through Rental Income

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] A ‘Medical Zone’ where clinics and pharmacies can be used at the same time will be established at Yeoksam Station (Line 2) and Jongno 3-ga Station (Line 3) of the subway. Not only can patients receive medical treatment and prescriptions in one place, but it will also operate early in the morning, late at night, on weekends, and public holidays, allowing use even during the medical service gap hours when existing clinics and pharmacies are closed.

On the 21st, Seoul Metro announced that it will operate the ‘Medical Zone’ at Yeoksam Station and Jongno 3-ga Station, which have a large floating population. It plans to publicly recruit businesses to participate in the ‘Metro Medical Zone Lease Project’ in late this month and operate it from June next year.

Seoul Metro aims to create a medical zone that citizens can conveniently use at subway stations with good accessibility through the ‘Medical Zone’ inside subway stations, and to resolve the corporation’s financial difficulties through revenue from leasing projects.

Yeoksam Station and Jongno 3-ga Station are among the top subway stations in terms of average daily users. There are many office workers commuting, and large hospitals are located near the stations, so many patients use the subway to visit hospitals. For these reasons, there has been a steady demand for clinics and pharmacies inside subway stations.

The ‘Medical Zone’ was promoted as the legal system for installing medical facilities inside subway stations was established. Previously, subway station commercial spaces did not have building registers, so clinics and pharmacies could not be installed. However, in December 2020, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport enacted and announced the ‘Regulations on Installation and Operation of Convenience Facilities in Urban Railway Stations,’ making it possible to install medical facilities.

Although there is no building register according to the Building Act, based on the enacted and announced operation regulations, operators can create and keep a convenience facility management register to operate clinics and pharmacies inside the station. Currently, there are 3 clinics and 28 pharmacies operating inside Seoul subway stations. Additionally, in May of this year, Seoul Metro won an administrative litigation against the local health center, which had opposed the entry of clinics into subway stations.

Seoul Metro plans to publicly recruit a business operator to collectively operate the ‘Medical Zone’ at Yeoksam Station (395.02㎡) and Jongno 3-ga Station (248.9㎡) in late this month and create a medical facility cluster zone in the two stations. The business operator must hold a medical doctor or pharmacist license. Once the operator is recruited, Seoul Metro will finalize detailed operation plans.

Furthermore, starting with Yeoksam Station and Jongno 3-ga Station, Seoul Metro plans to consider expanding the ‘Medical Zone.’ Kim Sang-beom, President of Seoul Metro, said, “Through the creation of the ‘Medical Zone,’ we will catch two rabbits: providing medical services to subway users and generating new revenue,” and added, “We will continue to strive to improve the convenience of citizens using the subway.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.