Vaccinations Needed    

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No vaccinations are required to enter South Korea, however it is recommended that immunizations  be up-to-date for all family members, particularly for Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B, diphtheria, tetanus, polio (DTP) and typhoid.

Hepatitis A can be contracted through food and water. Given the lack of enforcement of sanitation rules prevalent in some eating establishments, vaccination again Hepatitis A is highly recommended. 
This vaccine is given in two doses in the muscle of the upper arm. The first dose provides protection two to four weeks after initial vaccination; the second booster dose, given six to twelve months later, provides protection for up to twenty years.

Hepatitis B can be contracted from physical contact or from exposure to blood (for example, health-care workers). Vaccination is recommended if you may be exposed through medical treatment, if you are staying in Korea for longer than six months or if you may have sexual contact with the local population.

Japanese encephalitis can result from mosquito bites. Vaccination required only if you plan to visit rural areas for 4 weeks or more, except under special circumstances, such as a known outbreak of Japanese encephalitis. Recommended if you are in Korea for more than one man and plan to travel to rural areas or who may engage in extensive unprotected outdoor activities in rural areas, especially after dusk

Here is information on recommended vaccinations for travel to Korea from the MDTravelHealth website.

Here is the most up-to-date info on vaccinations / disease risks in the Republic of Korea as of 12 March 2009 from the World Health Organization:
Yellow Fever:
Country requirement: no
Recommendation: Yellow fever vaccine recommendation: no
Malaria:
Risk: Limited malaria risk—exclusively due to P. vivax—exists mainly in the northern areas of Gangwon Do and Kyunggi Do Provinces.
Malaria treatments are available in Korea. Vaccinations are available at most International Clinics and at the Medical Centre in the basement level of Incheon Airport. 

There are very high quality medical facilities in Korea. You can get information about some of them on the K4E Hospitals & International Clinics Page. 

For up-to-date on the vaccinations required for travel to Korea and all other countries, you can check the information on the WHO website - go to Country List, then to Korea under ‘K’.

K4E Editor: We try to make the information on Korea4Expats.com as complete and accurate as possible, so if you notice any errors or omissions in the content above, please let us know at info@korea4expats.com