Emergencies in Korea: From Calling 119 to Using the Emergency Room

If you are suddenly seriously injured or your condition worsens quickly, call 119 before reading this article. The information below is a guide to help you know in advance the contact numbers, how to report, ambulance costs, and how to find open hospitals and pharmacies when an emergency happens in Korea. It is not medical advice; diagnosis and treatment must be received from medical staff.

Numbers to remember first

• 119: The number to call the fire department ambulance service for fires, rescues, and emergency medical situations. If there is an emergency patient, contact this first.
• 112: The number for situations requiring police, such as crimes or accidents.
• 129 (Health and Welfare Call Center), 120 (City/Provincial Call Center): These have been introduced as numbers where you can get information when you want to know which hospitals or pharmacies are open now, though not for emergencies.
• 1577-1366 (Danuri Call Center): A counseling number where you can receive interpretation through a three-way call when Korean is difficult. It is explained in detail below.

What to tell them when calling 119

The first thing the person receiving the report needs to know is the location. It helps to say things in the following order.

• Where you are now: address, building name, nearby large buildings or road names
• What happened: whether it is an accident or a sudden illness
• The patient's condition: whether they are conscious, breathing, or bleeding
• The patient's age and number of people

After reporting, it is good to stay on the phone until the person guiding you says to hang up. This is because they may ask for the location again or tell you first aid methods.

When Korean is difficult

The Danuri Call Center (1577-1366) is a counseling service for migrants. According to the service guide, three-way interpretation covers police, emergencies, and hospitals, and phone counseling is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It is guided that specialized counselors for migrant women provide counseling in 15 languages, including Korean, English, Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese, Russian, Thai, and Mongolian.

However, this service is not a number that replaces a 119 report. If it is urgent, report to 119 first, and if there is someone nearby who can speak Korean, ask for help. After arriving at the hospital, you can also use three-way calling when you cannot communicate during a medical consultation. It is guided that depending on the region, at some times of day calls are automatically connected to the main number, so check the connection method at the time of use.

Does a 119 ambulance cost money?

Fire station 119 ambulances can only be used in urgent situations and are free anywhere in the country regardless of distance traveled or number of patients.

Non-urgent inter-regional transport or hospital-to-hospital transport uses hospital-affiliated or private ambulances and requires payment. The fee standards guided in the Easy-to-Find Living Law Information are as follows, and may change depending on the time, so check before use.

• General ambulance base fee (within 10km): 40,000 won for medical institutions, etc., 26,600 won for non-profit corporations
• Special ambulance base fee (within 10km): 95,500 won for medical institutions, etc., 63,600 won for non-profit corporations
• Beyond 10km, an additional fee is added per 1km, and from 18:00 on weekdays to 9:00 the next day, Saturdays, and public holidays, 20% is added.

Finding hospitals and pharmacies open now

When you need a place to receive treatment at night or on holidays, though it is not an emergency, you can use the methods below.

• Emergency Medical Portal E-GEN (www.e-gen.or.kr): Operated by the National Emergency Medical Center of the National Medical Center, you can find open hospitals on a map and search by day of the week and time.
• 'Emergency Medical Information' app: You can download it for free from the app store and see open hospitals and pharmacies near your location, night treatment institutions, automated external defibrillator (AED) locations, and first aid tips.
• Holiday Pharmacy (www.pharm114.or.kr): Operated by the Korean Pharmaceutical Association, you can search for pharmacies open on holidays and late at night by region and day of the week.

Things to know at the emergency room

The emergency room is a place used when there are emergency symptoms such as acute impaired consciousness, acute chest pain, bleeding, or pediatric seizures. The Ministry of Health and Welfare guides that if it is not an emergency symptom, additional costs may arise besides the treatment fee. If symptoms are mild, looking first for an open hospital or clinic using the methods above is also an option.

The treatment fee you pay varies depending on whether you are enrolled in health insurance and on non-covered items. There is also a system for when it is difficult to pay the emergency room treatment fee immediately, but eligibility and conditions differ, so ask the hospital's administrative office or 129. Health insurance and costs will be covered in a separate guide.

Things good to prepare in advance

• A photo or copy of your passport or alien registration card
• A memo of the names of medicines you usually take and allergy information written in your own language, such as English, and in Korean
• A memo of your residence address written in Korean
• Travel insurance or health insurance information

Sources

• Easy-to-Find Living Law Information: Do I have to pay a fee when using a 119 ambulance? (opens in a new tab)
• Multicultural Family Support Portal Danuri: Danuri Call Center Guide (opens in a new tab)
• Ministry of Health and Welfare press release (2022.1.27): Emergency Medical Portal and open hospital/pharmacy guide (opens in a new tab)
• Kyunghyang Shinmun (2024.2.9): Emergency Medical Information app and Holiday Pharmacy guide (opens in a new tab)