Seoul's support for foreign residents

Living in Seoul, remember just two things: 120 Dasan Call and the Seoul Global Center.

Main services

1. Seoul Global Center — counselling, interpretation, legal and tax advice, start-up support. See seoul-global-center.
2. District foreign residents' support centres — run by each district: Korean classes, life counselling.
3. 120 Dasan Call Centre — Seoul city services line, with multilingual support.
4. Seoul city website (seoul.go.kr) — foreign resident information.
5. Family centres — multicultural family programmes. See family-center.

Support worth checking in Seoul

• Korean language education — global centre, district centres, lifelong learning centres.
• Interpretation and translation — accompaniment to offices and hospitals. See interpretation-service.
• Legal, tax and start-up advice — specialists attend regularly.
• Housing support — Seoul's rental housing and housing cost schemes. See public-rental-housing.
• Medical cost support — schemes for foreign residents sometimes exist. See foreigner-medical-support.
• Cultural and exchange programmes — festivals, support for self-help groups. See immigrant-community.

How to use them

1. Call 120 and ask about "foreign resident support" — multilingual connection is available.
2. Book and visit the Seoul Global Center.
3. Check your district centre — programmes differ by district.
4. Bring your alien registration card.
5. Say which language you need in advance.

Where to go

• 120 Dasan Call Centre (Seoul, multilingual)
• 02-2075-4180 Seoul Global Center
• global.seoul.go.kr
• Your district's foreign residents' support centre
• 1345 Immigration Contact Centre (residence matters)

Questions people ask

Does it differ by district? Yes — programmes vary by district. Check your own district's centre first.

What if I live outside Seoul? Use your own local authority's centre. See gyeonggi-support and regional-support.

Is 120 free? You pay only the normal call charge; the counselling itself is free. Ask for multilingual connection.

Can I visit without Korean? Interpretation is available. Tell them which language you need before visiting.

Take care

Anyone impersonating the city or a centre to demand money is running a scam. Public counselling is free. Call the official numbers (120, 02-2075-4180) yourself to verify. When applying to programmes, check what personal data you are providing.

Related

seoul-global-center · local-foreigner-centers · gyeonggi-support · regional-support · local-welfare-programs

Source

Seoul Metropolitan Government www.seoul.go.kr / As of 2026-08