Emergency Number in Korea: How to Call 119 and 112

In Korea, call 119 for a medical or fire emergency and 112 to report a crime or an accident. This guide does not stop at listing numbers: it shows how to choose the right one and what to say, in order, when you call. Knowing a number but going blank once the phone is in your hand is the most common problem.

First, pick the right number

• 119 → fire, someone collapsed, or a serious injury. Both fire and ambulance are 119
• 112 → crime, assault, theft, or a traffic accident where you need the police
• 1345 Immigration Contact Center → not an emergency, but you need foreign-language help with stay or daily-life problems. Run by the Ministry of Justice
• Danuri Call Center 1577-1366 → living information and counselling for marriage migrants and multicultural families
• 1366 → generally known as an emergency counselling line for women facing domestic or sexual violence. Ask on the phone who qualifies and which languages are offered

A simple rule: if body or life is in danger, 119; if someone is harming you or took your things, 112; if language is the problem but nobody is in danger, 1345. If you are unsure, pressing 112 or 119 is safer, since they can transfer you.

What to say when you report

• Say your language first → a single word such as "English" or "Vietnamese" can make an interpreter easier to connect
• Say where you are → the address matters most. If you do not know it, name a nearby building, convenience store or subway station
• Say what happened in a few words → "fire", "someone collapsed", "a thief broke in"
• Say how many are hurt and whether they are conscious → it changes what the crew prepares
• Stay on the line and follow instructions → do not hang up before the operator tells you to

Even if an interpreter does not connect at once, you can give an address and the situation in short words or gestures. The address comes before a perfect sentence.

What to prepare in advance

In an emergency there is no time to think, so prepare two things beforehand. One is your home address written in Korean, saved in your phone notes and posted inside your front door. The other is to have the people you live with say the numbers and the order aloud once.

• Write your home address in Korean → the road-name address including the unit number
• Check you can dial 119 and 112 quickly → test whether emergency calls work from the lock screen
• Practise with children → they should be able to say 119 and the home address too
• Never make prank calls → false reports slow down the people who really need help

If you are stuck on a stay or paperwork problem and nobody is in danger, call 1345 for foreign-language help rather than 112 or 119. Interpreting at hospitals is covered in our hospital article.

When you have just moved or have visitors

In an unfamiliar neighbourhood it is harder to state your address. If you have just moved, learn or write down your road-name address in the first week. The same works when family visits from home: put a note with the lodging address in Korean in their wallet, and it helps if they get lost or ill.

It also comes up in the interview

Emergency numbers are the kind of daily-life question that appears in the naturalization interview. Here are examples from the practice questions we compiled. The interview is in Korean.

화재나 응급환자가 발생했을 때 전화하는 번호는 몇 번입니까? — 119

경찰의 긴급 신고 전화번호는 무엇입니까? — 112

Three digits look easy, but hearing the interviewer and answering aloud in one go is a different thing. Our service lets you hear these questions in an interviewer's voice and practise answering aloud.

This article is not legal or medical advice. In an emergency call 119 or 112 before reading further. Supported languages and extra services can change, so check current guidance with the 1345 Immigration Contact Center or your nearest police or fire station.