Biennial Free Medical Check-up

In 2024, it was my turn to take advantage of the free biennial medical examination offered by the NHIS. Although I had the whole year to do it, life got hectic with graduating, job hunting, starting a new job, and of course, trying to maintain a social life. Procrastination didn’t help either, so I kept putting it off. Two weeks before the year ended, a friend mentioned that he had completed his free medical and dental check-ups and received his results. The doctor had advised him to monitor his cholesterol levels, which was surprising given that we're only in our early 30s. What started as a joke about “cholesterol at 30” hit a nerve—I realized I should take my health more seriously too. So, I decided to book my appointments for both medical and dental check-ups. Navigating the NHIS website for the first time was a challenge. The Korean version was detailed, but the English version lacked sufficient information. With my friend's help, I figured out how to find NHIS-accredited clinics and hospitals. I initially searched for university hospitals with English-speaking staff and found one in Yongsan, but unfortunately, their schedule was fully booked for 2024. Ultimately, I decided to go with a Korean-speaking clinic. I scheduled both appointments for the very last day of the year. My medical check-up was first, at the Ipark Mall Medical Clinic in Yongsan. It took about an hour. The process included filling out forms, providing a urine sample, measuring my height and weight, a hearing and vision test, a blood draw, and an X-ray. Afterward, I headed to my dental appointment. The dentist explained the procedures I needed, but I opted for a quick dental scaling instead since they required more time. Although everything was conducted in Korean, I was proud to understand everything. It wasn’t the most conventional way to end the year, but it felt good to start taking care of my health—better late than never, right?