What matters
- 112 is the nationwide police emergency number; 119 covers fire, rescue and emergency medical response.
- Korea Tourism Organization advises callers who do not speak Korean to say 'English please' or 'Interpreter please.'
- 1330 provides travel information, interpretation and tourist-complaint support but is not an emergency dispatch number.
- 1345 handles immigration and stay-status questions on published service hours; it is not a police or ambulance line.
- A street address, nearby building, station exit or phone GPS location can be more useful than an English place nickname.
Do this now
Move away from traffic, fire, violence, a crowd crush or another continuing hazard if you can do so safely. Call 112 for police or 119 for fire, rescue or urgent medical help. Do not delay an emergency call while searching for a tourist hotline or translating a perfect sentence.
Start with the service you need, then give the location and what happened. If Korean is difficult, say 'English please' or 'Interpreter please.' Keep the line open, answer short questions and follow instructions rather than arranging your own transport in a life-threatening situation.
- Police: 112
- Fire, rescue or ambulance: 119
- Useful phrase: 'Yeongeo tongyeok butakdeurimnida' — English interpretation, please.
Make your location usable
Read a Korean road address from your map, accommodation card or storefront. Add a nearby subway station and exit number, building name, floor, platform, trail marker or road direction. If you cannot speak, show the phone screen to a nearby staff member and ask them to call.
Do not move an injured person unless the operator directs you or remaining in place creates a greater danger. Send your live location to a trusted companion and keep enough battery for a return call.
- Screenshot the Korean address before the trip.
- At a subway station, include the line, station and exit or platform.
- On a road, describe the travel direction and nearest visible sign.
Choose the right non-emergency follow-up
Use 1330 for travel information, interpretation and tourist complaints when nobody needs immediate police, fire or ambulance dispatch. Use 1345 for immigration, visa and stay-status questions. Search LOST112 and contact the transport operator or venue for property that was misplaced rather than stolen.
For an infectious-disease question, KDCA operates 1339. Foreign-language support and hours differ from emergency interpretation, so use the current official page and 1345 or 1330 referral instructions when needed.
Keep a small recovery file
Store passport and insurance details, emergency contacts, accommodation addresses and booking references in an encrypted or access-controlled location you can reach without the missing device. A plain photo gallery is not a secure document vault.
Write a short timeline after the immediate danger has passed. Record when and where the incident happened, who you contacted, report or case numbers, medical receipts and any instructions from an embassy, insurer, police officer or transport operator.
- Do not publish passport numbers or report documents in a public travel forum.
- Ask what document an insurer requires before leaving a police station or hospital.
- Keep original receipts and take a separate backup image.
Some links may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. Recommendations stay editorially independent.
Official sources to re-check
Ask a local
A question about Emergency help in Korea for international visitors?
Use this form for a question connected to this guide. Your question is not public until it has been reviewed and answered. Replies are written manually in Korea, not in real time. Time-zone differences and fact-checking may delay a response, and no reply time is guaranteed.
Not for urgent help: use the appropriate police, ambulance, embassy, medical or immigration service when waiting could cause harm or disrupt imminent travel.