It's 11 p.m. and your child's forehead is burning up. The pediatrician's office is already closed, and you know the ER wait will be long, so it's hard to know what to do. Rushing straight to the ER, or on the other hand just toughing it out until morning, are both not ideal. Following the order below can cut down on both unnecessary ER visits and excessive waiting.
1Step 1 — Check for emergency warning signs first
- Fever accompanied by seizures
- Difficulty breathing or blue-tinged lips
- Reduced consciousness or unusually limp/listless behavior
- Repeated vomiting with nothing eaten, or signs of dehydration
If even one of the above applies, there's no time to wait for an online consultation. Call 119 right away or head straight to the nearest emergency room.
2Step 2 — If it's unclear how serious it is, start with iCareTok
The most common situation is one where your child has a fever but is still playing and alert, making it hard to tell whether it's an emergency. In that case, the right first step is a consultation through iCareTok (for children age 12 and under), run by the National Medical Center. Enter your child's symptoms and a pediatric/emergency-medicine specialist will review them via photo upload and chat, then tell you what you can do at home and what would call for a hospital visit. It's free, available 24 hours a day, and if you're told you need to go to a hospital now, move on to the next step.
3Step 3 — If you do need a hospital, check the Moonlight Children's Hospital Finder first
If your iCareTok consultation concluded that hospital care is needed, or you feel a hospital is the right call from the start, it's better to check the Moonlight Children's Hospital Finder before heading to the ER. These government-designated pediatric hospitals stay open weeknight evenings and some weekends/holidays, so waits are shorter than the ER and you can see a pediatric specialist directly. Select your region on the E-Gen Emergency Medical Portal to see which ones are open right now.
4Step 4 — If you just need medicine urgently, look for a late-night pharmacy
If you don't need a full exam and just urgently need a fever reducer or basic medicine, you can use E-Gen's late-night pharmacy finder to look up pharmacies that are open right now.
Services mentioned in this guide
iCareTok
A pediatric specialist counseling center where you can ask a pediatric/emergency-medicine specialist online, 24 hours a day, when your child suddenly falls ill in the middle of the night
24 hours
Operated by · 국립중앙의료원 중앙응급의료센터
Cost · Free
Moonlight Children's Hospital Finder
An emergency medical portal service that helps you instantly find a pediatric clinic open on a weeknight or weekend/holiday, by region
24 hours (for information lookup); hours vary by hospital
Operated by · 중앙응급의료센터
Cost · Free
E-Gen Emergency Medical Portal - Late-Night Pharmacy Finder
When you urgently need medicine late at night, instantly check which pharmacies are open right now on a map
24 hours (for information lookup)
Operated by · 중앙응급의료센터
Cost · Free