Emergency Numbers: 112 and 119
Korea splits emergency response across two numbers, and mixing them up wastes time. 112 is the police emergency line — crime in progress, immediate danger, anything needing a police response. Korea's National Police Agency confirms 112 as the country's emergency reporting number, and beyond a voice call it also accepts a text/SMS report, a 10-second audio recording report, and a video report, plus a dedicated mobile app on Google Play and the App Store — useful if you're somewhere loud or not confident speaking Korean on the phone. Filing a knowingly false report is a punishable offence, so use it for real emergencies.
119 is the fire and emergency medical services number — fire, rescue, and ambulance dispatch. Korea's National Fire Agency (119.go.kr) confirms 119 covers both fire response and emergency medical services, which is why it's the number for a medical emergency, not 112.
Both numbers work from any phone, including one with no SIM or no credit. I could not confirm on an official page exactly what live interpretation is available directly on a 112/119 call — if your Korean is minimal and the situation allows a few extra seconds, the 1330 hotline below can help relay you into an emergency call, which is one of its stated uses.
The 1330 Korea Travel Hotline
The Korea Travel Hotline (1330), run by the Korea Tourism Organization, is a free, 24-hour line for travellers — dial 1330 inside Korea or +82-2-1330 from abroad. The Korea Tourism Organization's own site confirms the hotline is reachable by phone and also by a chat service that needs no app download, plus integration with Line and Facebook Messenger for travellers who'd rather message than call; calling over Wi-Fi is free, though data charges may apply on cellular. Use it for interpretation help, general travel information, and lodging a complaint about a business or service. I could not confirm the full list of supported languages on an official page in this session — expect Korean and English at minimum, and confirm others directly with the hotline if that matters for your trip.
Seoul's 120 Dasan Call Center
Inside Seoul specifically, the city runs the 120 Dasan Call Center — dial 120 within Seoul, or from outside Seoul/abroad, 02-731-2120 (Seoul's official English site also lists +82-2-731-2120 for international callers). It's a general municipal information and complaints line — Seoul's own site describes it handling a broad range of categories including welfare, safety, and administrative questions — so think of it as "who do I call about a city service or a general Seoul question," not a life-threatening emergency line. I could not confirm its exact hours or full language list on an official page in this session; treat it as a general-purpose backup to 1330, not a replacement for 112/119.
Calling an Ambulance
When you call 119 for a medical emergency, paramedics assess you and transport you, usually to the nearest appropriate hospital emergency department. One thing worth knowing before you're in the situation: ambulance transport in Korea is not free — there is a fee, billed afterward or requested at the hospital. I was not able to verify the current fee amount or fee structure on an official page in this session, so don't assume a number — if your condition allows it, ask, and keep any paperwork or receipt for a travel insurance claim afterward.
Lost Passport and the Embassy Step
If your passport is lost or stolen, the standard sequence is: report it to Korean police first (a police report or reference number can matter for both your embassy application and any insurance claim), then contact your country's embassy or consulate in Korea to apply for an emergency travel document. I could not verify country-specific embassy procedures, hours, or contact details on an official page in this session, since these differ by nationality — look up your own embassy's Seoul contact details directly rather than relying on a generic number here.
Lost Property and Lost Phones
Korea has a strong reputation, backed by most travellers' accounts, for lost items turning up. The country runs a national lost-and-found portal, Lost112 (lost112.go.kr), connected to the National Police Agency, intended to let you search for and claim items reported found anywhere in the country, including on public transport. I was not able to load the site's content in this session to confirm its current interface, language support, or exact claim process, so I can't give you precise steps here — check lost112.go.kr directly. For a specific subway loss, your fastest route is usually to ask station staff directly; for a taxi, contact the taxi company or your card processor if you paid by card, since the receipt often carries a trackable reference. I could not verify Seoul Metro's specific lost-property office procedures on an official page in this session either.
If it's your phone specifically, lock or remotely wipe it through your phone's own "find my device" service as your first move, and separately contact your carrier (a Korean SIM/eSIM provider, or your home carrier if you're roaming) about blocking the line. I could not verify a single unified Korea-wide phone-blocking process on an official page in this session.
Theft, Scams, and Police Stations (파출소)
Violent crime against travellers is genuinely rare in Korea, and you can walk most areas at night without the wariness you might carry elsewhere. The more realistic risk is opportunistic pickpocketing or scams clustered around nightlife districts — overcharging, pressure to run up a bar bill, and similar hustles — rather than street crime. If something happens, report it at the nearest police station or substation (파출소), small local police posts found through most neighbourhoods, or call 112. I don't have verified crime statistics from an official page to quote here, so treat this as general orientation, not a safety guarantee.
Natural-Hazard Alerts
Korea's national safety portal, Safe Korea (safekorea.go.kr), run by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, confirms the country operates an emergency disaster text alert system ("재난문자") sent directly to phones in an affected area, covering things like severe weather, earthquakes, wildfires, and floods. Typhoon and heavy-rain warnings go out this way during summer and early autumn typhoon season, and the same portal tracks fine-dust advisories alongside general air-quality and weather information. I could not verify the exact alert thresholds, or whether alerts reach foreign-registered phones and eSIMs consistently, on an official page in this session — if fine dust matters to your health, checking a weather/air-quality app directly is the more reliable backup.