How to call 119 for fire and ambulance
Call 119 for fire, injury and medical emergencies. The ambulance is free, it runs 24 hours, and they do not ask about your visa status.
When to call
- A fire, or the smell of smoke
- Someone is unconscious or cannot breathe
- Bleeding that will not stop, or a broken bone
- Severe chest pain, or one side of the body going numb
- An accident at a factory or construction site
Steps
- Dial 119.
- Say "interpretation" or your language name. An interpreter joins as a third party.
- Give the location first. Building name, floor, unit number.
- Describe the patient. Conscious or not, breathing or not, what is injured.
- Follow the instructions. They may talk you through first aid on the phone.
- Leave the door open and wait. If you can, go out to the main road and wave.
What you need
- A phone. It connects even without a SIM.
- If possible, the patient's name, age, medication and allergies
Where to go
- 119 fire and ambulance
- 112 police
- 1339 Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency
- 1345 Immigration Contact Center
Questions people ask
Is there a charge for the ambulance? The 119 ambulance does not charge. Hospital treatment is billed separately.
What if I cannot pay the hospital? There is an emergency medical cost deferred-payment scheme. Ask the hospital's administration desk about it.
I was hurt at work. Get treatment first. You can claim industrial accident compensation later, and you do not need the employer's consent. Call 1350.
Take care
It is illegal for an employer or manager to stop you calling 119 or to say industrial accident claims are "not possible". Life comes first.
Related
emergency-numbers · call-112 · what-to-say-emergency · emergency-app
Source
National Fire Agency www.nfa.go.kr / As of 2026-08