Emergency Numbers and Helplines for Foreigners

At a glance

• Emergency reports: 119 for fire, rescue and medical emergencies (including maritime accidents), 112 for crime. Non-emergency civil complaints and counseling: 110 (Ministry of the Interior and Safety integrated emergency reporting).
• From 28 October 2016, the previous 21 reporting numbers were merged into 2 emergency numbers, 119 and 112, and 110 for non-emergency counseling.
• Stay and immigration counseling for foreigners: 1345; tourist information and interpreting: 1330; multicultural family and migrant women counseling: 1577-1366.
• Employment and labor counseling: 1350; health and welfare counseling: 129.

Who needs to do this

• Anyone in Korea (including foreigners) can report to 112, 119 and 110.
• The 1345 Immigration Contact Center gives foreigners staying in Korea counseling on stay and immigration and information on administrative matters.
• Danuri Call Center 1577-1366 mainly serves migrant women such as marriage migrant women and multicultural families, with a focus on domestic violence and human rights protection.
• 1330 is the tourist information and interpreting line run by the Korea Tourism Organization. It provides tourist information, counseling on tourism complaints and interpreting support in emergencies.

Where to call

• 119: when a foreigner calls, a staff member who speaks the language responds directly, or the call is connected as a 3-way call with a volunteer interpreter or similar.
• 110: call 110 without an area code for counseling 365 days a year, 24 hours a day (sign-language counseling on weekdays 09:00~18:00). From abroad: 82-2-6196-9110 (Government Civil Service Call Center).
• 1345: weekdays 09:00~22:00 in 20 languages (Korean, Chinese, English, Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese, Mongolian, etc.); after 18:00 only Korean, English and Chinese. Call 1345 without an area code, or +82-2-1345 from abroad. It also offers 3-way interpreting for government agencies and non-profit organizations (Immigration Contact Center).
• 1330: information in 8 languages including Korean, English, Japanese and Chinese, by phone (1330 without an area code) and messenger chat such as KakaoTalk, LINE and Facebook. From abroad: +82-2-1330. See the official 1330 page for operating hours.
• 1577-1366: 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, in 15 languages (Korean, English, Chinese, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Khmer, Mongolian, Russian, Japanese, Thai, Lao, Uzbek, Nepali, etc.). It provides emergency support and follow-up for violence victims, daily-life information, interpreting and family counseling by phone, online chat and visits (Danuri Call Center).
• 1350: open weekdays 09:00~18:00 (Ministry of Employment and Labor Customer Counseling Center).
• 129: open weekdays 09:00~18:00; counseling on emergency welfare support, welfare blind spots, elder and child abuse and mental health is available 24 hours (Health and Welfare Counseling Center).

What to bring

• Nothing special is needed; you can report or get counseling by phone right away. 1345, 110 and 129 are all reached without an area code.
• When reporting, it is important to give your exact location. If you report through the 119 reporting app, your location (GPS) and the report are sent together.
• With the single smartphone app "Emergency Report app" (긴급신고 바로앱) you can report crime, fire, rescue and maritime accidents, with multilingual reporting in English, Chinese, Vietnamese and Filipino.

Cost

• Phone counseling at the 129 Health and Welfare Counseling Center is free.
• Calls to 1345 are charged (paid call).
• Calls to 1350 are charged (paid call).
• Online voice calls to 1330 are free when connected to Wi-Fi.

Procedure

• Step 1: if there is a fire, you are injured or suddenly ill, call 119; if you are a victim of or witness a crime, call 112.
• Step 2: if Korean is difficult, simply speak your language to 119. A staff member who speaks it responds, or you are connected in a 3-way call with a volunteer interpreter.
• Step 3: if it is hard to report by voice, you can report to 119 by text message (photos and videos can be attached), video call or the 119 reporting app.
• Step 4: if you cannot speak because the offender is nearby, call 112 and press number buttons as guided by the operator (the so-called "knock-knock" report, 똑똑 신고). You can then send your location, video and secret chat through the link received by text (policy briefing guide).
• Step 5: contact 1345 for stay and visa issues, 1330 for problems or interpreting while traveling, and 1577-1366 for domestic violence or multicultural family issues.

Common sticking points

• If you are unsure whether to call 112 or 119, you can report to either one. The two agencies respond jointly.
• Maritime accidents used to be reported to 122, but are now reported to 119.
• False reports can be punished with up to 5 years in prison or a fine of up to 10,000,000 won, according to official guidance.
• After 18:00, 1345 is available only in Korean, English and Chinese. For other languages, call on weekdays before 18:00.

This guide is general information and does not assess individual situations. Hours, supported languages and charges can change, so check the original text through the official links and with the relevant agency.