From melatonin to ADHD drugs, Korea’s import rules can determine whether travelers keep, declare or need approval for medicines and supplements.
A bottle of Natrol melatonin gummies, left, and Vicks NyQuil cold medicine may be confiscated by Korean customs.
NATROL, VICKS
From melatonin gummies to cough syrup, everyday supplements and drugstore remedies bought abroad can be classified as prescription drugs — or even prohibited imports — the moment they arrive at a Korean airport.
The discrepancy stems from Korea’s relatively strict, multilayered rules governing active ingredients, particularly psychotropic substances, as well as dosage and packaging.
Trader Joe’s sesame-and-garlic seasoning made headlines two years ago for exactly this reason: It contains poppy seeds, a controlled substance under Korea’s Narcotics Control Act. Korea regulates narcotics and psychotropic substances tightly, and that reaches beyond what a traveler would think of as a drug.
In fact, Everything But The Bagel Sesame Seasoning Blend is only one of several common bagel seasonings and snacks banned by the Korean authorities. Local law enforcement has cracked down on resales of the bagel seasoning on second-hand markets, too.
Ahead of the Chuseok holiday, the Korea JoongAng Daily has compiled what could be held up at the border and what to pack instead.
Melatonin gummies under watch
Melatonin is one of the items Korean customs singles out. Sold in gummy form by the tub at U.S. warehouse clubs, it is a prescription-only medicine here.
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has reported melatonin to the Korea Customs Service as a harmful pharmaceutical, and that designation closes every door at once.
“Once an item is reported as a harmful pharmaceutical, clearance is withheld first, regardless of the import route, whether travelers’ accompanied baggage or overseas direct purchase,” the customs service said in a written response.
Buying a small amount does not help. Travelers may generally bring in six bottles of medicine for personal use, but the customs service said that allowance does not apply here. “Where an item has been reported by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety as a harmful pharmaceutical, including melatonin and narcotic analgesics, clearance is withheld,” it said.
Ordering it online has the same result, so waiting until you arrive will not work.
Trader Joe’s Everything but the Bagel Seasoning
SCREEN CAPTURE
Cold and cough medicine
Pseudoephedrine deserves a look first. The decongestant in Sudafed and many other cold and allergy products is available in Korea, but it is subject to limits meant to prevent it from being diverted into illegal drug manufacturing.
Working with the Korean Pharmaceutical Association and drugmakers, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety asked pharmacies to sell bottled pseudoephedrine and ephedrine products only with a prescription and to cap blister-pack sales at a four-day supply per customer. Pharmacies report bulk or repeat purchases to the ministry, and manufacturers agreed to shrink bottles to 60 tablets or fewer.
So you cannot count on buying the large pack you are used to. Local media have also reported that at higher concentrations the ingredient is treated as a stimulant precursor and cannot be brought in.
Other remedies are worth checking. In a March 2025 briefing, the customs service said codeine, dextromethorphan, alprazolam and zolpidem accounted for 239 of 292 cases of illegal medicines detected in 2024. Dextromethorphan is the active ingredient in many over-the-counter cough syrups, including some sold under well-known U.S. brands, and codeine appears in cough preparations and combination painkillers in many countries.
NyQuil and DayQuil, nighttime and daytime cold medicines sold under Procter & Gamble’s Vicks brand, can be held or confiscated at Korean customs because they contain dextromethorphan.
Office of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in Osong, Cheongju, North Chungcheong, on Aug. 28, 2023.
NEWS1
Sleep and mood supplements
A separate rule covers online orders. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety maintains a list of ingredients blocked from entering the country, which grew from 286 designated in 2023 to 314 as of September 2026.
What is on it matters more than the count. The list leans toward pharmaceutical ingredients that turn up in supplements: 5-hydroxytryptophan, or 5-HTP, common in sleep and mood products, and ephedrine, found in some weight-loss and energy formulas.
It applies to direct online purchases and proxy buying services. “Travelers’ accompanied baggage does not fall under the scope of the above provision,” the ministry said, though as melatonin shows, a separate customs rule can still stop the same product at the airport.
Prescription medicines you actually need
If your medication is classified here as a narcotic or psychotropic, which covers many attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) treatments, sleeping pills and strong painkillers, you need a permit before you fly. A foreign prescription alone is not enough.
Apply at least 10 business days before arrival, the legal processing period, with a passport copy, flight details, a doctor’s letter and a valid prescription, in English or Korean. Late or incomplete applications can be rejected.
The permit covers your stay plus up to five days and cannot exceed 90 days in total. It is issued only to the person taking the medicine and must be carried in hand luggage.
One rule has no exceptions: Controlled medicines cannot be posted into Korea. Anything mailed and seized is destroyed or returned to the sender.
The ministry publishes the rules in English on its drug safety portal, and its narcotics policy division can be reached at 043-719-2813.
Korean and foreign travelers arrive at Incheon International Airport Terminal 1 on Feb. 18.
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How to check before you pack
The blocked-product list is searchable in English by product or ingredient name on Food Safety Korea, the ministry’s public portal, and entries include product photographs. The customs service publishes a separate page on restricted and prohibited items for travelers.
The short version: Read the label on anything meant to help you sleep, lose weight or get over a cold. If a doctor prescribed it, start the paperwork two weeks before you fly.
Incheon Airport Customs said it held medicines at traveler clearance 38,708 times between Jan. 1, 2023 and Sept. 14 of this year, a category spanning over-the-counter drugs to unapproved diet products.
Held items are stored for one month, extendable by one more month on request, then auctioned, destroyed or handed to the state. Storage fees are yours, starting at 11,300 won ($8) per 30 days. For a week-long trip, that clock outlasts your flight home.
BY KIM MIN-YOUNG [kim.minyoung5@joongang.co.kr]