Korea emergency help phrases are the first survival tool any foreign resident or traveler should master. When words fail in real situations, keep it short and simple, and showing your phone screen alone can cover 60%+ of communication. This page collects the core hotline numbers — 112 (police) · 119 (ambulance/fire) · 1330 (24/7 multilingual tourism) · 1339 (emergency medical advice) · 1345 (immigration) — and copy-paste KR/EN phrases for the police, ER, pharmacy, telecom, and card-company scenarios you actually face.

Korea emergency help phrases — one-page hotline summary

Purpose	Number	One-line summary
Police emergency	112	Crime, threats, theft, assault, stalking. English/Chinese 24h interpretation expanded. (korean-culture.org)
Ambulance / fire	119	Ambulance, fire, rescue. Emergency medical advice is also unified into 119. (Korea.kr)
Emergency medical advice	1339	Multilingual advice — which hospital/pharmacy is open at night, do you need the ER. (National Emergency Medical Center)
Lost & found	182	Police lost-and-found / missing persons (non-emergency). Use the Lost112 portal too. (Korea National Police Agency)
Tourism interpretation	1330	Korea Tourism Organization 24h multilingual hotline. From overseas: +82-2-1330. (VISITKOREA)
Immigration / visa	1345	Multilingual visa & residency hotline. From overseas: +82-1345. (Immigration Office)
Smishing / phishing	118	KISA cyber-incident and smishing reporting. (KrCERT)
Financial fraud	1332	Financial Supervisory Service. Suspicious charges or voice phishing — report immediately. (Financial Services Commission)
Seoul city help	02-120 → ARS 9	Seoul Dasan multilingual line (English/Chinese/Japanese/Vietnamese/Mongolian). (120 Dasan)

If you live in Korea long-term, emergencies often start in everyday places like restaurants and cafés. Pair this guide with our Korean restaurant etiquette guide and Korean café culture guide so you know both routine and emergency flows.

1) Korea emergency help phrases — police (112), on-scene, station

A. 112 phone “copy-paste script” (most-used)

EN (read aloud)

• “Hello. I need police help.”
• “I’m a foreigner. Interpreter please (English).”
• “My location is [address / subway station exit].”
• “I am safe / not safe.”
• “The situation is theft / assault / threat / stalking.”
• “The suspect is [gender / clothes / direction].”

KR (show on screen)

• “안녕하세요. 경찰 도움이 필요합니다.”
• “저는 외국인입니다. 영어 통역 부탁드립니다.”
• “지금 위치는 [주소·지하철역 ○번 출구]입니다.”
• “저는 안전합니다 / 안전하지 않습니다.”
• “상황은 도난·폭행·위협·스토킹입니다.”
• “상대 특징은 [성별·옷·도망 방향]입니다.”

Note: 112 has expanded English/Chinese 24h interpretation. (Korea Joongang Daily) For the first hour after a passport theft, see our passport-loss golden-hour checklist.

B. “I’m in danger right now” — Korea emergency help phrases (single-line)

• KR: “도와주세요!” / “경찰 불러주세요! 112!” / “지금 위험해요!”
• EN: “Help!” / “Call the police! 112!” / “I’m in danger!”

C. At the police station — filing a report & getting an incident number

• KR: “신고 접수하고 사건 접수번호(또는 신고 확인서)가 필요합니다.”
• EN: “I want to file a report. I need the report/incident number.”

You will need this for passport reissue, insurance claims, and any lost/stolen evidence. Car accidents follow a separate flow — see our foreigner car-accident response guide.

2) Korea emergency help phrases — hospital, ambulance (119), ER

A. 119 phone “copy-paste script”

EN (read aloud)

• “Hello. I need an ambulance.”
• “Location: [address / landmark].”
• “Patient: [age / gender].”
• “Symptoms: [bleeding / chest pain / cannot breathe / unconscious].”
• “Please come quickly.”

KR (show on screen)

• “구급차가 필요합니다.”
• “위치는 [주소·건물명·지하철역]입니다.”
• “환자는 [나이·성별]입니다.”
• “증상은 [출혈·가슴통증·호흡곤란·의식없음]입니다.”
• “빨리 와주세요.”

Government press releases note that emergency medical advice is unified into 119. (Korea.kr) For non-emergency night care, 1339 also offers multilingual advice.

B. ER reception — when the doctor doesn’t speak Korean for you

• KR: “응급실 진료가 필요합니다. 통역 가능한가요?”
• EN: “I need emergency care. Do you have an interpreter?”
• KR: “여기가 아파요.” / “숨쉬기 힘들어요.” / “어지럽고 토할 것 같아요.”
• EN: “It hurts here.” / “I can’t breathe well.” / “I feel dizzy / I’m going to vomit.”
• KR: “번역앱(파파고·구글)을 사용해도 될까요?”
• EN: “Can I use a translation app (Papago / Google Translate)?”

C. Allergies & current medications — critical for safety

• KR: “저는 [약·음식] 알레르기가 있어요.”
• EN: “I’m allergic to [medicine·food].”
• KR: “현재 [약 이름]을 복용 중입니다.”
• EN: “I’m currently taking [medicine name].”
• KR: “기저질환은 [고혈압·당뇨·천식 등]입니다.”
• EN: “My pre-existing conditions are [hypertension / diabetes / asthma …].”

D. English medical certificate & receipts (for insurance)

• KR: “진단서가 필요합니다. 가능하면 영문 진단서로 부탁드립니다.”
• EN: “I need a medical certificate. If possible, please issue it in English.”
• KR: “해외 보험 청구용입니다. 영문 진료비 영수증·소견서도 같이 받을 수 있을까요?”
• EN: “It’s for an overseas insurance claim. Can I also get the itemized receipt and doctor’s note in English?”

3) Korea emergency help phrases — lost & stolen (passport, wallet, phone)

A. “Lost” vs “Stolen” — one word changes the report

• KR: “분실했어요(잃어버렸어요).” / “도난당했어요(훔쳐갔어요).”
• EN: “I lost it.” / “It was stolen.”

B. Lost / stolen passport — police report + embassy

• KR: “여권을 분실·도난당했습니다. 분실(도난) 신고 접수와 확인서가 필요합니다.”
• EN: “My passport was lost/stolen. I need to file a report and get a confirmation letter.”
• KR: “자국 영사관(대사관)에 연락하려고 합니다. 가까운 경찰서 위치를 알려주세요.”
• EN: “I need to contact my embassy. Please tell me the nearest police station.”

Major embassy switchboards in Seoul (weekday business hours):

Country	Phone	Note
USA	02-397-4114	U.S. Embassy Seoul (after-hours follows the recorded prompt)
Japan	02-2170-5200	Embassy of Japan in Korea
China	02-738-1038	Chinese Embassy consular section
UK	02-3210-5500	British Embassy Seoul
Germany	02-748-4114	Embassy of Germany
France	02-3149-4300	Embassy of France

C. Lost wallet / credit card — block, dispute, declined charges

• KR: “지갑을 잃어버렸습니다. 카드 결제 정지(카드 정지) 해주세요.”
• EN: “I lost my wallet. Please block my card immediately.”
• KR: “방금 결제 내역이 이상합니다. 이의제기·취소 진행하고 싶습니다.”
• EN: “There is an unauthorized charge. I want to dispute / cancel it.”
• KR: “카드 결제가 거부됐습니다. 확인해 주세요.”
• EN: “My card was declined. Please check why.”

For suspected financial fraud, file with 112 and also with 1332 (Financial Supervisory Service). (Financial Services Commission)

D. Lost / stolen phone — telecom SIM (USIM/eSIM) suspension

• KR: “휴대폰을 분실·도난당했습니다. 유심(USIM·eSIM) 정지 해주세요.”
• EN: “My phone was lost/stolen. Please suspend my SIM.”
• KR: “제 번호로 인증 문자가 올 수 있어서 위험합니다. 즉시 정지가 필요합니다.”
• EN: “Someone could receive verification codes on my number. I need it suspended now.”

E. Finding lost items — 182 / Lost112 / on-site desks

• KR: “분실물을 찾고 싶습니다. 182(경찰 분실물)로 문의하려고 합니다.”
• EN: “I want to find my lost item. I’m calling the police lost-and-found line (182).”
• KR: “Lost112에 습득물이 등록됐는지 확인하고 싶어요.”
• EN: “I want to check Lost112 for found items.”

The Korean police runs 182 as the missing-persons / lost-property channel and Lost112 as the unified portal. (Korea National Police Agency)

4) Korea emergency help phrases — pharmacy, prescriptions, translation apps

• KR: “감기·두통·복통·설사·기침 약 주세요.”
• EN: “I need medicine for cold / headache / stomachache / diarrhea / cough.”
• KR: “이 약은 졸음이 오나요? 운전해도 되나요?”
• EN: “Does this cause drowsiness? Is it safe to drive?”
• KR: “저는 [페니실린·NSAID 등] 알레르기가 있어요.”
• EN: “I’m allergic to [penicillin / NSAID / …].”
• KR: “한국어가 어려워서 번역앱(Papago·Google Translate)으로 보여드릴게요.”
• EN: “My Korean is limited. I’ll show you with Papago / Google Translate.”

If the pharmacist can’t speak English, ask for BBB Korea (free volunteer interpretation) or call 1330 for a 3-way call — interpretation joins the conversation on the spot. For shopping/refund phrases in daily life, see our Korean market & mart shopping guide.

5) Korea emergency help phrases — getting lost, hotel not found, foreigner help desk

• KR: “길을 잃었어요. 1330 통역 연결 부탁드립니다.”
• EN: “I’m lost. Can you connect me to 1330 for interpretation?”
• KR: “호텔 이름은 [호텔명]인데 위치를 모르겠어요.”
• EN: “My hotel is [hotel name], but I can’t find the location.”
• KR: “이 주소까지 가는 가장 빠른 방법을 알려주세요.”
• EN: “What’s the fastest way to get to this address?”

1330 is the Korea Tourism Organization’s 24/7 multilingual (English, Japanese, Chinese, Russian, Vietnamese, Thai, Malay/Indonesian) hotline. It also accepts tourism complaints. (VISITKOREA) If you live in Seoul, 02-120 → ARS 9 (Dasan multilingual) is the fastest line for weekday city issues.

6) Korea emergency help phrases — smishing, phishing, hacking (118)

• KR: “스미싱 문자를 받았습니다. 이 링크가 악성인지 확인해 주세요.”
• EN: “I received a smishing text. Please check if this link is malicious.”
• KR: “악성앱이 설치된 것 같아요. 어떻게 조치해야 하나요?”
• EN: “I think a malicious app was installed. What should I do now?”

KISA runs the smishing-check service together with cyber-incident report line 118. (KrCERT)

7) Korea emergency help phrases — immigration / visa / status (1345)

• KR: “체류자격·비자 관련 상담이 필요합니다. 1345로 연결·안내 부탁드립니다.”
• EN: “I need advice about my visa/status. Please guide me to the immigration hotline (1345).”

1345 covers multilingual consultations, 3-way interpretation, and dialing instructions from inside and outside Korea. (Immigration Office)

8) Korea emergency help phrases — three universal templates (fill the blanks)

A) “I need help right now” template

• EN: “I need help now. Location: [ ]. Situation: [ ]. Interpreter: English.”
• KR: “지금 도움이 필요합니다. 위치: [ ]. 상황: [ ]. 통역: 영어.”

B) “Lost / stolen report” template

• EN: “I lost [item] at [place] around [time]. I need a report number.”
• KR: “[물건]을 [장소]에서 [시간]쯤 분실했습니다. 접수번호가 필요합니다.”

C) “Hospital symptom report” template

• EN: “I have [symptom] since [time]. Pain level is [1–10]. Allergies: [ ].”
• KR: “[시간]부터 [증상]이 있습니다. 통증은 [1–10]입니다. 알레르기: [ ].”

Korea emergency help phrases — FAQ

Q1. What’s the police number in Korea, and can I call in English? The police emergency line is 112. 112 has expanded English/Chinese 24h interpretation. (Korea Joongang Daily)

Q2. Which number for ambulance and fire? 119. Emergency medical advice is also unified into 119, and 1339 handles night/holiday multilingual triage. (Korea.kr)

Q3. Lost passport / wallet / phone — who first? To prevent secondary damage: block your card → suspend your SIM → file a police report (if needed) → check 182 / Lost112. (Korea National Police Agency)

Q4. Got a smishing/phishing link — who do I contact? KISA runs the smishing-check service plus cyber-incident line 118. (KrCERT)

Q5. Can’t communicate at a tourist spot — who do I call? 1330 offers 24/7 multilingual interpretation, tourism guidance, and complaint intake. Anywhere — street, restaurant, pharmacy — just say “Connect me to 1330.” (VISITKOREA)

Q6. Where do I get an English medical certificate? Issued at the hospital’s admin desk or international clinic. For overseas insurance, also request the itemized receipt and doctor’s note in English. Bring your Alien Registration Card or passport.

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