SEOUL — Travelers and residents returning to South Korea will soon be able to bring home up to a three-month supply of personal medications—including popular GLP-1 weight-loss drugs—purchased legitimately abroad.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, in coordination with the Korea Customs Service, announced the policy shift to address long-standing traveler grievances over customs holds on personal prescriptions.

Under the updated guidelines, medicines such as Wegovy and Mounjaro can now be carried into the country. The standard limit is set at six vials, though exceptions are made for regimens requiring larger quantities over a 90-day period. For example, weekly injectables like Mounjaro can be brought in quantities of 12 to 13 units to cover a three-month treatment window.

The relaxation applies to specific scenarios, including patients traveling outbound with their ongoing prescriptions and bringing the remainder back, as well as students and foreign nationals relocating to South Korea with their current medical supplies. Travelers who obtain prescriptions during international trips are also covered.

Authorities stressed that the exemption strictly applies to medications carried in person. Direct online orders shipped from overseas retailers remain banned.

Officials noted that travelers will not be required to present separate verification documents at the border; customs inspectors will evaluate the legitimacy of the products upon entry.

Despite the wider allowance for weight-loss treatments, strict bans remain in place for narcotics and psychotropic substances. As a result, certain over-the-counter pain relievers popular in Japan—such as versions of the brand "Eve" containing sedative compounds classified as psychotropic drugs—will still be barred from entry.

The policy change comes amid growing local interest in securing foreign prescriptions for GLP-1 therapies, a trend that has recently popularized terms like "Sushi-jaro" as shoppers travel abroad to acquire medications more affordably.

[ⓒ Global Economic Times. 무단전재-재배포 금지]