Yangcheon Pharmacy Association warns on govt plan to expand convenience‑store drug sales and tele‑medicine delivery

The Yangcheon District Pharmacy Association held its third training session for 2026 on March 3 at the Dream Hall of the Global Village Church. In her opening remarks, Chairwoman Yeo Yoon‑jung expressed that members are worried about recent government proposals. The government intends to increase the availability of medicines in convenience stores and to expand non‑face‑to‑face (tele‑medicine) drug delivery. Currently, from December of this year, delivery is limited to island residents, long‑term care recipients, persons with disabilities, patients with infectious diseases, and rare‑disease patients. Yeo noted that officials are discussing a full‑scale expansion and questioned who would benefit from such a move. She also raised the issue of whether the problem lies in the growing number of pharmacies versus the convenience‑store model, referencing services such as Dr.Now.