[South Korea Working Holiday/Study Abroad] What to do during the 6 months without health insurance? How I got a full refund for medical expenses with Epos Card's overseas travel insurance

"Starting a new life in South Korea! But is it true that I can't join the National Health Insurance for the first 6 months...?"
"If I suddenly get sick, do I have to pay for all the medical expenses myself?"

Many of you who are planning to study abroad or go on a working holiday in South Korea may be feeling this kind of anxiety. Since you cannot use Japanese health insurance overseas, health issues are definitely the biggest concern.

In this article, I would like to share my own experience, which I hope will be helpful to those who share the same worries. To give you the conclusion first, thanks to the overseas travel insurance attached to the "Epos Card", which is familiar in Japan, I was able to get a [full refund] for the medical treatment and medicine costs I incurred at a hospital in South Korea later on💡

The "one credit card" that became my lucky charm

According to South Korean law, when staying for study abroad (in the case of short-term) or a working holiday, you cannot join the local National Health Insurance for the first 6 months after entering the country.

To cover this "uninsured" period, what I prepared was the Epos Card.

The Epos Card comes with overseas travel accident insurance, and it has a truly helpful system where if you get sick or injured locally and visit a hospital, the card company will fully compensate (refund) the expenses incurred later.

However, it is not automatically applied just by having the card🙅‍♀️

The Epos Card insurance has a rule called "usage attachment," which means it only becomes valid if you pay for travel expenses (such as airfare or tour costs) with that card before leaving the country.

In my case, I had purchased my one-way air ticket from Japan to South Korea with my Epos Card, so I was able to successfully meet the application conditions. It's a nice point that there are no complicated procedures at all, as you just need to make one payment before going to Korea.

An unexpected case of food poisoning while abroad

"I met the conditions just in case, but I probably won't have many chances to use it," I thought, feeling relaxed. However, just as I was getting used to life in South Korea, an incident occurred.

I got food poisoning from some oysters I ate locally, and I was struck by intense symptoms that made me suspect norovirus...!

I was in a state where I couldn't move from my bed all day due to severe abdominal pain, lethargy like when you have a fever, and a headache. No matter how much I love South Korea, being sick all alone in a room in a foreign country with a language barrier was truly mentally exhausting, *sob*.

Reaching my limit, I called the Epos Card call center to confirm before going to the hospital. They guided me by saying, "The insurance will definitely be applied in this case as well," which gave me peace of mind.

I immediately opened the local Korean map app "NAVER Map," searched for "병원 (hospital)," rushed to a nearby general clinic, and was able to finish the consultation and get my prescription medicine without any issues🏥

[Super Important] Steps to get a full refund after returning to Japan

After I recovered safely, I mailed the documents to the Epos Card insurance claim office when I returned to Japan.
Here, there is a super important point you must never forget.

Please make sure to keep the original copies of the "medical receipt" you receive at the hospital and the "pharmacy receipt" you receive at the pharmacy, and never lose them!

You need the "originals," not copies, for the claim procedure.
In addition to these two, I prepared the "Epos Card usage statement" from when I purchased the air ticket, which I printed from the web, and my "e-ticket receipt," and put them in the return envelope sent by the call center and dropped them in the mailbox.

In an astonishingly fast turnaround of just about one week after mailing the documents, the full amount for my medical treatment and medication was deposited into my account! Overseas medical costs can be very high, so I was truly relieved from the bottom of my heart when the full amount was returned with such speed.

Better safe than sorry! For a worry-free life in Korea

Just by preparing one card in advance and using it for payment, your peace of mind while there will change 180 degrees.

I have compiled the actual hospital reception process, what the receipts look like, and how to fill out the detailed forms after returning to Japan into one easy-to-understand article, complete with actual photos.

If you are currently preparing to move to Korea, please check it out as a safety net. I hope your life in Korea will be healthy and wonderful!