Registration to the Korean National Health Insurance is MANDATORY for all international students enrolled at Hallym University (including exchange students). Registration to the Korean National Health Insurance System (KNHIS) is controlled by the Korean government. Non-registration of an insurance policy may place restrictions on students' future VISA applications to Korea, or affect their current VISA renewal process (if applicable).
*Please note that KNHIS is executed upon the Personal Information Protection Act, therefore only the named individual can apply for, or seek guidance about their own personal insurance situation directly from KNHIS.*
- The KNHIS announced that the monthly fee is set 76,390 KRW for 2025 (ref. 75,490 KRW last year) due to the international students' 50% discount of the regular average amount of 2024. However, if you have a yearly income of more than 3,600,000 KRW OR a property of more than 135 million KRW, you are not subject to get the discount for the international students' payment. Therefore, you will get a bill of a full amount (135,280 KRW per month).
- It is crucial that you never miss your monthly KNHIS payment, because you are only insured when your KNHIS is paid and up to date (you cannot pay this monthly premium AFTER an accident, or treatment to receive coverage after the fact).
You can ask for an automatic monthly wire bank transfer for your own convenience (200 KRW discount) after setting up your payment at Chuncheon National Health Insurance Office. If you choose this method, you must first have an open and active Korean Bank Account set up, before you visit the Chuncheon National Health Insurance Office (please take all of your bank details with you).
Chuncheon National Health Insurance Office Address:
강원 춘천시 공지로494번길 4
[지번] 강원 춘천시 근화동 730번지
국민건강보험공단 춘천지사Open 09.00am to 18:00 Monday to Friday (excluding National Holidays)
Please take your Alien Card & Passport & Hallym Student ID.
If you speak limited Korean, it would be a very good idea to take a Korean speaking friend with you to aide communication, or show this message to the staff in the Health Insurance Office so that they can guide you through your options:‘안녕하세요. 외국인 교환학생입니다. 국민건강보험료를 납부하고싶습니다.’
‘I am an international exchange student. I wish to pay the National Health Insurance premium.’To download the instruction PDF for how to obtain proof of payment of NHIS (online certificate issuance), please click this link here
- You can submit automatic monthly wire bank transfer and an electronic bill application directly to the KNHIS Chuncheon branch office (though the forms are all in Korean).
Download the application form for electronic bill
⇨ 200 KRW discount in case of email- bill request
- There are other ways to check your bill and make the payment. Please check it out:
- The essential benefits from the KNHIS:
- payment of the medical treatment, deducted to 30-60% of regular amount
- reimbursement claim (refund request) is not necessary
- inpatient treatment (hospitalization), deducted to approx. 20% of regular amount
- medical check-up opportunity every 2 years (※ there can be some extra payment depending on which check-up you choose)
- Shortcomings of KNHIS:
- in case of a hospitalization due to a serious accident or sickness, you will not be able to go through the admission procedure without a legal guardian. NB None of Hallym University staff can take this role.
- in case of a surgery or inpatient treatment, for which you will have to pay a considerable expense, you might get some deduction by KNHIS but the rest is all on your own charge.
- in case of death due to any accident or sickness, no benefit and no refund cost.
- KNHIS payment is imposed per household (legal family). Therefore, if you stay in Korea with your family member(s), you can apply for household(family)-integration to get a discount. You have to submit a family/marriage/birth certificate to the KNHIS office.
- marriage certificate: less than 3 months after it is issued by the Korean government OR less than 9 months after it is issued from a foreign country (outside Korea)
- certificate MUST be all translated in Korean AND notarized (Apostille)
For other detailed information, please refer to the National Health Insurance Service website: (click below icon)
1577-1000 (+7 for a language service ) / 033-811-2000
Chuncheon branch office address : National Health Insurance Corporation, 4, Gongji-ro 494beon-gil (Geunhwa-dong), Chuncheon-si
Tel. (033) 250-9820 - there may not be any foreign language support.