If you require medical care on Aug. 17, the substitute holiday for Liberation Day, check ahead to confirm which facilities will be open. While some medical institutions plan to close, several major university and general hospitals will keep outpatient clinics running on a standard weekday schedule.
According to treatment schedules posted on hospital websites and official social media accounts as of Aug. 10, Gachon University Gil Medical Center, four Inje University Paik hospitals, Wonkwang University Sanbon Hospital, Konyang University Hospital, and Sahmyook Seoul Hospital will operate normally on the 17th. Other facilities, including Kyung Hee Medical Center, will offer morning-only care.
With Liberation Day falling on Saturday, Aug. 15 this year, Monday, Aug. 17, has been designated a substitute holiday, creating a three-day weekend.
Full Weekday Operations for Major Regional Centers
Gachon University Gil Medical Center in Incheon will operate all outpatient departments, testing rooms, and treatment centers on Aug. 17 under its standard Monday schedule. Hospital officials explained that the decision aims to prevent delayed treatment and alleviate post-holiday appointment bottlenecks during the peak summer vacation season. Its emergency care system—including the Regional Emergency Medical Center, Regional Trauma Center, Regional Maternal and Child Medical Center, and pediatric emergency room—will operate 24 hours a day throughout the holiday weekend.
Similarly, four hospitals under Inje University Paik Central Medical Center—Busan Paik, Sanggye Paik, Ilsan Paik, and Haeundae Paik—will maintain outpatient care that day. Ilsan Paik Hospital confirmed that in addition to outpatient clinics, standard weekday schedules will apply for diagnostic testing, surgeries, hemodialysis, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy.
Wonkwang University Sanbon Hospital in Gunpo, Gyeonggi Province, and Konyang University Hospital in Daejeon also announced on their websites that they will operate as usual on Aug. 17.
Operational Hours and Coverage Across Seoul and Provinces
In Seoul, several facilities will provide outpatient services. Sahmyook Seoul Hospital will operate on its normal schedule alongside its 24-hour emergency medical center. Hongik Hospital in Yangcheon District will close outpatient clinics on Liberation Day itself, Aug. 15, but will resume seeing patients on Aug. 17, with its emergency room open continuously.
Patients visiting Kyung Hee Medical Center should note its shortened hours: outpatient care will run only from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., with no afternoon services. Conversely, the National Medical Center and Seoul Metropolitan Government Boramae Medical Center will close their outpatient clinics on Aug. 17.
Notices posted as of Aug. 10 for Asan Medical Center, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital, and Severance Hospital have not confirmed plans for full outpatient operations on the substitute holiday.
Outside the capital, several regional hospitals will remain open. Gangnam Hospital in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, will run standard weekday services on Aug. 17, supported by a 24-hour Regional Emergency Medical Center and its Moonlight Children’s Hospital operating until 6 p.m. W Hospital in Daegu will offer outpatient care alongside round-the-clock emergency services, while Jeonju Hospital will extend outpatient hours from 8:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Even at hospitals advertising normal operations, individual department schedules and attending physician availability may differ from a typical Monday. Diagnostic and surgical hours may also vary by facility.
Because these listings reflect notices published as of Aug. 10, patients are advised to reconfirm specific department availability and operating hours through hospital websites or appointment call centers before visiting.
