Clinic, hospital, general hospital, tertiary hospital — what is the difference?
What separates a clinic from a hospital is not bed count but whether it mainly sees outpatients or inpatients. Bed thresholds only start at the hospital tier.
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Korean medical institutions divide into clinic-tier and hospital-tier under the Medical Service Act; within the hospital tier sit hospitals and general hospitals, and some general hospitals are designated tertiary hospitals.
This is a legal classification, not a matter of building size. Which tier you enter changes whether you need a referral and how much you pay.
Bed count is not what separates a clinic from a hospital
The common belief is that a clinic is simply a small facility with few beds. Article 3(2) of the Medical Service Act actually turns on who the institution mainly treats.
| Tier | Legal definition |
|---|---|
| Clinic tier | Mainly treats outpatients (clinic, dental clinic, Korean medicine clinic) |
| Hospital tier | Mainly treats inpatients (hospital, dental hospital, Korean medicine hospital, long-term care hospital, psychiatric hospital, general hospital) |
There is no bed-count rule for the clinic tier at all. The 30-bed threshold comes from Article 3-2 and binds hospitals and Korean medicine hospitals. Long-term care hospitals need 30 long-term care beds; dental hospitals have no bed requirement because of how the provision is worded.
General hospitals scale their requirements by bed count
A general hospital starts at 100 beds, and the number of departments required changes with size (Article 3-3).
| Bed size | Departments | Must include |
|---|---|---|
| 100 to 300 beds | At least 7 | 3 of internal medicine, surgery, pediatrics, obstetrics & gynecology, plus radiology, anesthesiology & pain medicine, and laboratory medicine or pathology |
| Over 300 beds | At least 9 | Internal medicine, surgery, pediatrics, obstetrics & gynecology, radiology, anesthesiology & pain medicine, laboratory medicine or pathology, psychiatry, dentistry |
Both brackets require a dedicated specialist in each department. Because the boundary reads “300 or fewer / more than 300”, a hospital with exactly 300 beds falls in the 7-department bracket.
Tertiary hospital is a designation, not a tier
A tertiary hospital is not a separate category of institution — it is a status granted to selected general hospitals by the Minister of Health and Welfare for handling complex, severe conditions (Article 3-4).
- At least 20 departments, each with a dedicated specialist
- Re-evaluated and re-designated every three years
- The fifth period runs 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2026 (47 institutions at the initial 2024 designation)
So the list is not permanent. It changes on a three-year cycle, which makes it worth checking current status before you go. Applications for the sixth period (2027–2029) closed in July 2026; results had not been announced when this entry was written.
Where should you start?
For unclear or mild symptoms, a nearby clinic is the faster route procedurally. A tertiary hospital normally requires a referral letter, and without one you pay the full cost yourself — see when you need a referral letter.
Sources: Medical Service Act Articles 3, 3-2, 3-3, 3-4; Rule on the Designation and Evaluation of Tertiary Hospitals. Last checked 2026-08-30.
Frequently asked questions
How many beds can a clinic have?
The Medical Service Act sets no upper or lower bed limit for clinics. The dividing line is that clinics mainly treat outpatients while hospitals mainly treat inpatients. The 30-bed threshold applies to hospitals and traditional Korean medicine hospitals.
How many beds make a general hospital?
At least 100. From 100 to 300 beds it must offer at least 7 departments; above 300 beds, at least 9 — each staffed by a dedicated board-certified specialist.
Is the list of tertiary hospitals fixed?
No. The Minister of Health and Welfare re-evaluates and re-designates every three years. The fifth designation period runs from 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2026.