I'd been in Busan for three weeks when it hit me. A deep, rattling cough that wouldn't quit. My chest felt tight every morning. I was running on convenience store medicine and YouTube symptom searches.
The problem wasn't finding a clinic — Seomyeon is full of them. The problem was not speaking a word of Korean.
The Translation App Nightmare
My first attempt ended in twenty minutes of awkward tablet translation. I left with a prescription I didn't fully understand. The cough got worse.
Finding Dr. Kim
A friend in an expat group mentioned Kim Joo-in Internal Medicine. "The doctor actually speaks English. Like, real English."
8th floor, Cheongseok Building, five minutes from Seomyeon Station Exit 7.
The Appointment
I walked in without an appointment on a Tuesday morning. When Dr. Kim walked in, he asked in clear English: "What's been bothering you?"
That sentence alone made me exhale with relief.
He listened to my chest, asked about the cough's duration and character, ordered a pulmonary function test on the spot.
Diagnosis: early-stage bronchitis with mild bronchial hyperreactivity — triggered by yellow dust season. He explained everything in plain English.
Why This Clinic Is Different
Dr. Kim trained at Washington University in St. Louis & Barnes-Jewish Hospital. He spent 14 years as a professor at Busan Paik Hospital before opening his own clinic.
- No appointment needed — walk in during opening hours
- Bring your passport
- Clinic is on the 8th floor
- Hours: Weekdays 09:15–18:15, Saturday 09:15–14:00
I was back to normal within ten days.