Hello, this is 속초어때 (Sokcho Eottae). It is now 7 p.m. on Wednesday, September 23, exactly five hours before the Chuseok holiday begins. During the four-day holiday running from tomorrow, Thursday, through Sunday, Sokcho (속초) will be crowded with both returning families and tourists at the same time. Right now it is 21 degrees and clear in Sokcho, but the chance of rain is 65%, so rain is possible overnight, and traffic on 미시령로 (Misiryeong-ro, toward Seoul) and 동해대로 (Donghae-daero, coast and downtown) is already slow. The Daepo Port (대포항) observatory is showing 'Congested' even at this hour.
When a lot of people gather for the holidays, injuries and illnesses increase as well. Burning a hand while frying jeon, getting indigestion from overeating, a child suddenly running a fever — these things always seem to happen on the days the neighborhood clinic is closed. So today we have broken down, date by date, the Chuseok holiday emergency medical care system announced this morning by the 속초시보건소 (Sokcho Public Health Center). In particular, the two emergency rooms have different operating schedules, so it is easy to make a wasted trip if you go without knowing the dates.
A total of 23 places will be open during the four days of the holiday
According to the 속초시보건소, during the Chuseok holiday (September 24–27), the places open for at least one day are 14 hospitals and clinics and 9 pharmacies, 23 in total. This includes 2 emergency medical institutions.
What you need to pay attention to here is the phrase 'at least one day.' It does not mean all 23 places are open for all four days. One clinic may open only on the morning of the 24th, one pharmacy only on the afternoon of the 27th, and so on — the operating days and hours differ from place to place. Sokcho Mayor Lee Byung-sun also urged in the announcement that people be sure to check whether a place is open before visiting.
- Holiday period: September 24 (Thu) – 27 (Sun); Chuseok Day itself is the 25th (Fri)
- Operating facilities: 14 hospitals and clinics + 9 pharmacies = 23
- How to check: the E-Gen emergency medical portal, the emergency medical information app, and the websites of Sokcho City Hall and the 속초시보건소
- Phone information: daytime 033-639-2918, nighttime 033-639-2222
- Life-threatening situations: call 119 without hesitation
The two emergency rooms have different schedules
There are two places in Sokcho operating emergency rooms during the holiday. However, their schedules are not the same.
- 온재병원 (Onjae Hospital) (Gyo-dong (교동), Jungang-ro (중앙로)): emergency room open 24 hours throughout all four days of the holiday
- 속초의료원 (Sokcho Medical Center): open on September 24, 25 and 27, each from 9 a.m. until 9 a.m. the following day
Laying out the 속초의료원 schedule by date, it runs continuously for 48 hours from 9 a.m. Thursday to 9 a.m. Saturday, then operates again from 9 a.m. Sunday to 9 a.m. Monday. Saturday the 26th is missing from the operating days announced by the health center. According to this announcement, from 9 a.m. Saturday to 9 a.m. Sunday, 온재병원 is the only place in Sokcho with an open emergency room.
Saturday is the day after Chuseok, and it is also the day families who have held their ancestral rites head out to the Sokcho sea and Seoraksan (설악산). On the day when tourists move around the most, the emergency room options are reduced to one. So if you are in Sokcho on Saturday, we recommend preparing as follows.
- On Saturday, plan your routes around 온재병원 from the start. It is in Gyo-dong downtown, so it is not far from the Daepo Port and Cheongchoho Lake (청초호) areas either.
- If your accommodation is in Seorak-dong (설악동) or north of Yeongnangho (영랑호), check the driving time once in advance with a map app. Donghae-daero is often congested on holiday evenings.
- Emergency rooms treat patients in order of urgency, not in order of arrival. If your symptoms are mild, the wait may be long, so during the daytime it may be faster to look for an open clinic first.
Schedules may change depending on hospital circumstances, so the most reliable thing is to check once more through E-Gen or the nighttime information line (033-639-2222) before you go.
When you need medicine at night: the late-night pharmacy is open only on the 24th and 27th
The most difficult moment during the holiday is running out of your child's fever reducer around 10 p.m. The place in Sokcho open at night during the holiday is the public late-night pharmacy, 행복약국 (Haengbok Pharmacy), and its operating days are the 24th (Thu) and 27th (Sun), from 9 p.m. to midnight. There is no operating schedule on the night of the 25th, Chuseok Day, or Saturday the 26th.
Instead, you can buy safe household medicines at 114 24-hour convenience stores in Sokcho. Fever reducers and pain relievers, cold medicine, digestive aids and pain patches can be taken care of at a convenience store. However, the types of household medicines at convenience stores and the amount you can buy at one time are limited, so it is a different story if you have medication you take regularly.
- Regular medication: Make sure tonight or tomorrow morning that you have four days' worth left for the holiday. Prescription drugs cannot be bought at convenience stores.
- Children's fever reducer: Families traveling with children should keep a bottle of syrup-type fever reducer on hand so they don't have to wander around looking for a pharmacy at night.
- Digestive aids: It is a holiday where holiday food is joined by Sokcho raw fish and fried food. Keep something for indigestion in your bag.
Dialysis patients: remember the three dialysis units
Dialysis is a treatment that cannot be skipped just because it is a holiday. If parents or family members coming home are receiving dialysis, you need to take particular care. During this holiday, three places will operate dialysis units: 온재병원, 속초정요양병원 (Sokcho Jeong Nursing Hospital), and 속초강내과의원 (Sokcho Kang Internal Medicine Clinic). Each place has set operating days, so it is best to call ahead and arrange a day that fits with the dialysis schedule of the hospital you usually attend.
Tonight and on the first day of the holiday, don't forget these
The sky over Sokcho is clear right now, but the chance of rain is 65%. With a daytime high of 24 degrees and a low of 17 degrees, a daily temperature range of 7 degrees, temperatures drop in the early morning. Those who have driven a long way are tired, which makes it easy to catch a cold.
- Take breaks while driving: Misiryeong-ro and Donghae-daero are slow. 설악산로 (Seoraksan-ro, toward Seorak) is flowing smoothly, so if your accommodation is in the Seorak-dong area, that route is easier.
- Just look at the sea: The water temperature is still warm at 23.1 degrees and the waves are calm at 0.7 m, but Sokcho's beaches have already closed for the season and there are no lifeguards. A walk by the sea at night is nice, but do not go into the water.
- Be ready for burns: If you are burned by oil while frying jeon, the first thing to do is cool it immediately under running cold water for at least 15 minutes. Do not apply ice directly or put ointment on first.
On the same Saturday, a Hangawi folk experience event at the city museum
Talking only about emergency rooms might make the holiday feel too heavy, so here is one piece of good news for the same Saturday, the 26th. The '2026 Hangawi Folk Experience Event' will be held at 속초시립박물관 (Sokcho City Museum) and 실향민문화촌 (Silhyangmin Culture Village) from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Free traditional games: gonu, chilgyo (tangram), and sangaji stick games
- Craft activities: mother-of-pearl spinning top 1,000 KRW, chilgyo decorating 2,000 KRW, Pyeongan-do house making 5,000 KRW
- Sangmo pangut performance: Sokcho City Pungmul Troupe, 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
- Chuseok quiz 'Puzzling Chuseok, Challenge! Top of the State Exam': 11:30 a.m. and 3 p.m., first 15 teams per session. Sign up from 9 a.m. on the day via the QR code on the information flyer
- Holiday food sharing and writing wish papers in Special Exhibition Hall 2 during all four days of the holiday
- Inquiries: 033-639-2913
The quiz only accepts 15 teams per session, so if you want to take part, it is best to arrive in time for registration opening at 9 a.m. While the children make spinning tops and watch the pungmul performance, the adults can look around 실향민문화촌, and it becomes a natural chance to talk over the holiday about why Sokcho is called 'the city of people displaced from the North.'
Date-by-date summary at a glance
- 24th (Thu): 온재병원 24 hours, 속초의료원 09:00–09:00 next day, 행복약국 21:00–midnight
- 25th (Fri, Chuseok): 온재병원 24 hours, 속초의료원 09:00–09:00 next day
- 26th (Sat): 온재병원 24 hours (only one emergency room), city museum Hangawi folk experience 10:00–17:00
- 27th (Sun): 온재병원 24 hours, 속초의료원 09:00–09:00 next day, 행복약국 21:00–midnight
- Every day: household medicines at 114 24-hour convenience stores, health center information daytime 033-639-2918 · nighttime 033-639-2222
속초어때 will keep checking and reporting on Sokcho's weather, sea, crowd levels and road conditions throughout the holiday. Save this article on your phone, and when you need it urgently, just look up the date.
Today we looked at the emergency rooms, hospitals, clinics and pharmacies open during the Sokcho Chuseok holiday, along with the gap on Saturday the 26th and the folk experience event. Did you find it helpful? We hope you have a peaceful Hangawi without any trouble. We will be back next time with even more useful information.
