South Korea Safety and Health Guide: Emergency Numbers and Care

South Korea does not use 911. Instead, memorize two primary emergency contacts:

• 119: Medical emergencies, ambulance dispatch, and fire services.
• 112: Police assistance and crime reporting.

When you dial 119 from any mobile or landline phone, emergency dispatch systems automatically detect your geographic location. The service integrates a 24/7 three-way translation system supporting 16 foreign languages. If you simply request an ambulance in English, dispatchers will connect the interpreter and send emergency responders immediately.

For non-emergency travel assistance, dial 1330 (or +82-2-1330) for the Korea Travel Hotline, operating from 07:00 to 24:00. If you encounter infectious disease concerns, contact the KDCA helpline at 1339.

Emergency broadcast alerts sent by local cellular towers bypass phone silent modes with a loud siren. These native alerts are issued for natural events like earthquakes, typhoons, and heatwaves, as well as civic alerts. However, default cell broadcasts appear solely in Korean.

To stay informed, foreign visitors should install the government-run Emergency Ready App (available on iOS and Android) and grant location and notification permissions:

• Provides emergency text alerts translated into 22 languages.
• Outlines emergency action manuals and nearest shelter locations.
• Broadcasts safety instructions during scheduled civil defense drills (such as afternoon air raid drills).

Disaster guidelines and real-time updates are also published online in English at eng.safekorea.go.kr.

Pharmacies in Korea are easily identified by a prominent sign reading 약 (yak). They stock both standard prescription pharmaceuticals and over-the-counter (OTC) remedies.

Keep these shopping patterns in mind:

• Sunday closures: The majority of neighborhood community pharmacies close on Sundays. If you need medicine on a weekend, look for open pharmacies located inside or directly adjacent to major transit hubs and subway stations.
• Convenience store medicine: Under designated OTC regulations, 24-hour convenience stores (such as GS25, CU, and 7-Eleven) sell basic relief medications. You can purchase items like Tylenol, pediatric fever reducers, aspirin, and basic digestive aids directly from the cashier.
• Prescriptions: Specialized medications and stronger painkillers require a doctor's prescription from a local clinic before a pharmacy can dispense them.

South Korea's major tertiary facilities—including Asan Medical Center, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul National University Hospital, Severance Hospital, and Seoul St. Mary's Hospital—feature dedicated International Healthcare Centers.

These international clinics offer dedicated foreign-language coordination during standard weekday business hours (generally 08:00 or 09:00 to 17:00 or 17:30) and limited Saturday mornings.

If you fall ill after hours or on a weekend, you must go to the main hospital Emergency Room (ER), which operates 24/7 and retains English-capable clinical personnel. When visiting an ER:

• Bring your physical passport for identification.
• Complete the patient intake form at the reception desk.
• Be prepared to pay an advance monetary deposit at intake if you do not hold Korean National Health Insurance.

If you misplace an item on a bus, subway, train, or at an airport, retrieve it promptly using South Korea's organized recovery network:

• Initial 7 days: Transit systems, venues, and airports hold lost items in their on-site lost-and-found offices for seven days. Contact the specific facility immediately.
• Police custody: After seven days, unclaimed items transfer to jurisdictional police stations, where they are retained for six months. If still unclaimed, finders have three months to claim ownership before items revert to the state treasury.
• LOST 112 system: The national police catalog lost property online at www.lost112.go.kr (or via the LOST 112 app). You can check item listings or call the non-emergency police line at 182 for assistance.