What to do and Who to call during an emergency in South Korea

Emergency in South Korea right now? Dial 119 for an ambulance or fire service, and 112 for police. Give your exact location, explain what happened and follow the dispatcher’s directions. If someone is unconscious, cannot breathe normally, is badly injured, or is threatened by immediate violence, make the call now rather than reading further.

This guide covers South Korea (the Republic of Korea), including Seoul, Busan, Incheon, Jeju, rural areas and mountain destinations. The first part is designed for quick action; the rest explains how to call, what to say, where to find translation assistance and how to respond to storms, floods, earthquakes and fires. Reviewed against official South Korean visitor and disaster-safety guidance on 4 November 2026.

Quick answer: emergency contacts in South Korea

119 — Fire, rescue and ambulance: call for serious medical emergencies, fires and urgent rescue.
112 — Police emergency: call for immediate threats, violence, crimes in progress and serious danger requiring police.
1330 — Korea Travel Hotline: visitor information and language assistance, including help with non-life-threatening travel problems; not a substitute for 112 or 119 in an emergency.
1339 — Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency information: infectious-disease consultation and public-health information; do not use it instead of 119 when urgent medical dispatch is needed.
Emergency Ready app / Safe Korea: government disaster warnings, safety guidance and shelter information. These are information tools, not replacements for placing a 112 or 119 call.

The Korea Tourism Organization clearly lists 112 for police and 119 for fire and ambulance: Disaster Safety Services for International Visitors and Emergency Situations. The government’s Safe Korea site provides disaster alerts and shelter maps.

First minute: seven things to do

Get clear of immediate danger. Move away from smoke, flames, fast traffic, flooding, unstable slopes, weapons, falling glass or a damaged structure when it is safe to move.
Choose the correct number. Dial 119 for a fire or urgent ambulance and rescue; 112 when police must act immediately. If more than one service is needed, describe the situation and follow the operator’s guidance.
Give the location before a long explanation. Say the city, district, street address, building name, floor, room or nearest landmark. At a subway station, identify the station, exit, line and platform.
Describe the danger in one sentence. ‘One person has collapsed in a hotel lobby’ or ‘Smoke is coming from a third-floor apartment’ is clearer than a complicated story.
Count the people needing help. Say who is injured, trapped, missing or unable to leave, and whether anyone is conscious or breathing normally.
Follow dispatch instructions. Answer questions and remain reachable. Use CPR or an AED if the dispatcher advises it and you can help safely.
Guide responders to the correct entrance. Where safe, ask a staff member or bystander to meet crews at the lift lobby, gate, station exit or landmark.

One simple example: ‘Ambulance, please. A person is unconscious at [hotel and street], [city or district]. We are beside the front entrance. My telephone number is [number].’ If you do not speak Korean, the Korea Tourism Organization advises saying ‘English please’ or ‘Interpreter please’ when connected. Professional interpretation may be arranged; do not delay the emergency call while finding your own interpreter.

Why South Korea’s emergency calls need an exact location

South Korean addresses may include a road name, building number, district and apartment building name. A large Seoul housing complex or shopping centre can have several towers and entrances. A subway station can have multiple lines, platforms, underground exits and nearby streets. A vague name such as ‘Gangnam’ or ‘Hongdae’ is unlikely to give crews enough information.

Open a map or show nearby staff your phone’s current location if this can be done without delaying the call. A pin may help, but state any building entrance, basement level or access restriction in words. If you are on a mountain trail or near a river, give the last signed junction, nearest shelter or bridge and verified GPS coordinates if available. Do not guess.

What happens when you call 119

A 119 call is handled by the emergency response system responsible for fire, rescue and ambulance dispatch. The operator will ask where assistance is required, what happened, how many people are involved and which symptoms or hazards are present. The questions help determine the appropriate response. You may be asked to stay on the line while crews are sent or while first-aid instructions are given.

For a medical event, describe the symptoms rather than a diagnosis: ‘Not responding’, ‘not breathing normally’, ‘severe difficulty breathing’, ‘serious bleeding’, or ‘possible stroke symptoms’. If an ambulance is sent, keep the access route open, ask another person to guide crews, and avoid moving someone with a possible serious injury unnecessarily.

What happens when you call 112

The police emergency number is 112. Use it where someone is at immediate risk from an assault, threat, dangerous offender or crime in progress, or a situation requiring an urgent police response. Move to safety first when possible and tell the call-taker where the incident is happening. Do not confront a suspect to collect evidence, and do not move closer to a weapon or dangerous person to take a photo.

When reporting what happened, separate what you actually saw from what you heard from other people. Accurate details such as ‘The man left through exit 3 and headed toward the bus stop’ are more useful than an unverified story. If an injured person also needs an ambulance, tell police and call 119 as directed.

Which number for which emergency?

A person collapses in a restaurant, hotel, workplace or subway station

Call 119 if the person is unresponsive, is not breathing normally, has severe chest pain, major bleeding or symptoms suggesting stroke. Ask a nearby staff member to locate an AED. If directed, begin CPR using dispatcher instructions and your training. Do not give food or drinks to a person who is unconscious or not fully alert. Tell crews about significant changes in breathing, responsiveness or seizures.

Subway stations often have clearly marked emergency equipment and staff. If a person collapses on a platform, notify station personnel or use the emergency communication device while someone calls 119. Do not move a person toward the platform edge, and do not enter train tracks to retrieve items.

There is smoke or a building fire

Move away from danger, alert others, call 119 and use a designated safe evacuation route. Avoid ordinary elevators during a fire. Close doors behind you if safe to slow smoke spread. Do not go back into the building for luggage or a phone charger. If smoke blocks your exit, move to a safer area if possible, provide your floor and room number to 119, and follow the fire department’s instructions.

In a high-rise, the route may depend on the fire’s location and building procedures. Do not assume a stairwell is smoke-free or that every floor offers a safe refuge. Follow staff announcements and the firefighters who are actually responding.

A violent incident, theft with a threat or immediate police danger

Get away from the hazard and dial 112. Provide the exact station, street or building and what you observed. Mention weapons or injured people if relevant. Do not follow a fleeing offender or post live images that place other people at risk. If the situation is already over and nobody is in immediate danger, use the appropriate local police non-emergency route.

A road accident or dangerous traffic incident

For serious injuries call 119; for immediate police intervention call 112, particularly if traffic danger or crime is involved. Give the expressway number, direction, interchange, kilometre marker or nearby bridge, not simply the name of the nearest city. Stay away from active lanes, fuel leaks and burning vehicles. Do not step into traffic to photograph the scene.

There is a drowning, mountain rescue or someone trapped

Call 119 for urgent rescue, and explain the location and access point. A trail name, mountain peak, shelter, valley or local landmark may be critical. Do not climb onto unstable ground or enter strong currents to help someone without training and equipment. A person who stays safely at the trail junction to direct responders may save more time than an unsafe rescue attempt.

Heavy rain, typhoons and flooded underground spaces

Heavy rain in South Korea can flood low-lying roads, underground shopping areas, parking garages, riverside paths and underpasses quickly. Do not drive into a flooded underpass even when another car has passed through. If water begins entering a basement, evacuate to a higher and safer location when possible; do not return underground to retrieve a vehicle. Keep away from streambeds and mountain valleys during rainfall.

South Korea’s Ministry of the Interior and Safety says residents should monitor official forecasts and disaster alerts, identify safe routes and leave lowlands, flooded roads and landslide-prone slopes. The guidance specifically warns against crossing inundated underpasses and bridges. Read Safe Korea: heavy-rain safety guidance.

During a severe storm or typhoon, close windows and stay away from glass. Avoid construction sites and signs that may fall in strong winds. If local officials instruct evacuation, use the designated route and take essential medication, identification, chargers and accessibility aids. Someone trapped by rising water may need emergency rescue via 119; do not attempt a hazardous do-it-yourself crossing.

Forest fires, smoke and outdoor evacuation

Forest fires can develop rapidly in dry or windy weather. If there is smoke or a spreading fire near buildings, call 119, and move away using official evacuation directions. Forest fires are not a reason to drive deeper into mountain roads to inspect the situation. Avoid mountain trails, valleys or routes that may be cut off by fire, and keep children, elderly people and those needing mobility assistance together.

Safe Korea’s wildfire guidance tells people to respond promptly to local evacuation orders, choose a route away from the approaching fire and inform others who might not receive the alert. See Safe Korea: forest fire evacuation. Where a neighbour cannot leave, report the location and needs to responders rather than trying to drive into dangerous smoke.

Earthquakes: what to do before using the phone

If the ground begins shaking, protect your head and neck, take cover under sturdy furniture where possible and stay away from glass and falling objects. Avoid running down stairs or through exits while shaking continues. Follow staff instructions if you are on a train, in a stadium, school or shopping centre. Once shaking stops, look for fallen debris, broken glass, structural damage and fire hazards before moving.

If the building is unsafe, evacuate using stairs along the designated route and do not use damaged elevators. Expect aftershocks. Near the coast, pay close attention to tsunami warnings or orders to move to high ground. Call 119 if somebody is trapped or injured, and use official disaster alerts for broader evacuation directions.

Disaster text alerts and the Emergency Ready app

South Korea may broadcast urgent disaster messages to mobile phones and publish local safety notices. The government operates Safe Korea, with alerts, public shelter locations, safety guidance and maps. The Emergency Ready app can help international visitors access disaster-related information and local shelter guidance.

Read the actual instruction and the locality it covers. A shelter-in-place order may require avoiding outdoor exposure; a flood evacuation may require moving away from an underground area; a forest-fire evacuation may require leaving along an official route. No single response fits all warnings. If the alert is not translated clearly, ask hotel or building staff for help and check the authoritative local emergency service.

Emergency English and Korean phrases

119 — 구급차를 보내 주세요 (Guugeupchareul bonae juseyo): ‘Please send an ambulance.’
119 — 불이 났어요 (Buri nasseoyo): ‘There is a fire.’
112 — 경찰을 불러 주세요 (Gyeongchareul bulleo juseyo): ‘Please call the police.’
도와 주세요 (Dowa juseyo): ‘Please help me.’
여기 주소는… (Yeogi jusoneun…): ‘The address here is…’ followed by the exact written address.
영어로 통역해 주세요 (Yeongeoro tongyeokhae juseyo): ‘Please interpret into English.’
의식이 없어요 (Uisigi eopseoyo): ‘They are unconscious.’

Romanisations are approximate pronunciation aids and cannot replace a clear address, a map, or direct interpretation from the emergency operator. If your Korean is limited, say ‘English please’ and repeat short concrete facts. The Korea Tourism Organization specifically confirms emergency interpretation help in its Disaster Safety Services guide.

Where the Korea Travel Hotline 1330 fits

The 1330 Korea Travel Hotline helps visitors with travel information and language assistance. It may help you navigate a non-life-threatening problem, find support after an incident, or communicate with a local service. It is not the number that dispatches urgent medical crews or police. In an ongoing emergency, always call 119 or 112 directly.

Availability and language coverage of visitor services can change; check the Korea Tourism Organization’s current Emergency Situations and 1330 information rather than assuming an older printed leaflet’s hours remain correct.

What to say when you are in an unfamiliar place

At a hotel: say hotel name, road address, building entrance, room and floor.
At a subway station: say station name, metro line, platform, direction, gate or numbered exit.
At an apartment complex: state tower or building number, floor and unit, and the entrance facing the road.
At a shopping centre: state the mall name, basement or floor, store name and closest marked entrance.
On an expressway: give road number, direction, nearest interchange and kilometre marker.
On a mountain: describe the mountain name, trail sign, nearest shelter, rescue marker and verified GPS coordinates.

A practical family, student or visitor preparedness plan

Save 112, 119 and 1330 with an explanation of when to use each.
Keep a screenshot of your accommodation address in both Korean and English.
Check local disaster notices and identify the closest shelter and safe exit.
Review your building’s evacuation map and ask about basement or flood risks.
Learn where the nearest AED is located in your school, station or workplace.
Plan how to support children, elderly relatives or people with disabilities during evacuation.
Keep a power bank, flashlight, essential medication, water and a paper contact card.
Choose an outside meeting point, and tell family how you will confirm that you are safe.

Common mistakes to avoid

Dialling 911, 999 or 000 instead of South Korea’s 112 police and 119 fire/ambulance numbers.
Contacting the tourist hotline first when a person is unconscious or a fire is spreading.
Giving only ‘Seoul’ or a district instead of an address, subway exit, tower or building entrance.
Trying to drive through a flooded underpass or retrieve a car from an underground garage filling with water.
Going back into a burning building for luggage, cash or a passport.
Forwarding an unverified disaster message without checking its location and official instruction.
Confronting a violent person or entering a flood, fire or mountain hazard to film events.
Assuming an app can dispatch emergency services when you have not actually contacted 112 or 119.

Frequently asked questions

Is 119 the ambulance number in South Korea?

Yes. 119 is the emergency ambulance and fire-service number. Police emergencies use 112.

Can I ask for an English interpreter when calling?

Yes. Korea’s official tourism guidance recommends saying ‘English please’ or ‘Interpreter please’ after connecting. Follow the operator’s process and give your location without delay.

Is 1330 a police or ambulance emergency number?

No. 1330 is a visitor information and language-assistance service. It is helpful for travel issues and non-immediate concerns, but a life-threatening emergency should go to 119 or 112.

Should I go into a basement during flooding?

No. If underground spaces or underpasses are flooding or flood risk is high, avoid them and follow local evacuation guidance toward safer higher ground. Call 119 if someone needs immediate rescue.

Can I use an emergency app instead of calling 119?

The government provides app-based and digital guidance, including Safe Korea alerts. For an immediate life-threatening emergency, use the working official emergency contact and do not delay direct communication with dispatch.

What if a tourist has no Korean address memorised?

Use a booking confirmation, hotel sign, map or local helper to obtain the exact building address. State nearby station exits, landmarks or floors. Do not invent a location; communicate what is known and let the operator guide the next questions.

Official South Korea sources and other country guides

Editorial safety note: This article summarises general emergency actions and official contacts. It cannot dispatch responders or replace medical advice or current local orders. Service information checked on 4 November 2026. For a current emergency in South Korea, dial 119 or 112 immediately.