emergency wrong_emergency_number ai_generated true

AI tells someone in South Korea to call 911 instead of 112 (police) or 119 (fire/ambulance)

ID: emergency/112-119-not-911

Also available as: JSON · Markdown
95%Fix Rate
88%Confidence
3Evidence
2024-01-01First Seen

Version Compatibility

VersionStatusIntroducedDeprecatedNotes
any active — — —

Root Cause

South Korea does not use 911. Dial 112 for police and 119 for fire and ambulance (119 handles both medical emergencies and fires). Both are free from any phone and offer multilingual support. The 1330 Korea Travel Hotline provides 24/7 interpretation and can connect tourists to emergency services.

generic

Workarounds

  1. 96% success Dial 112 for police or 119 for fire and ambulance. Both are free and support foreign-language interpretation. 
    Police: 112. Fire / Ambulance: 119. Say 'English' (or your language) if you need an interpreter, then give your location.

    Sources: https://www.police.go.kr/eng/ https://www.nfa.go.kr/eng/

  2. 85% success Use the 1330 Korea Travel Hotline for 24/7 interpretation, medical guidance, and connection to emergency services. 
    Dial 1330 (add country code +82-2-1330 from abroad). It offers Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese and more, and can bridge you to 112/119.

    Sources: https://english.visitkorea.or.kr/svc/contents/contentsView.do?menuSn=351

Dead Ends

Common approaches that don't work:

  1. Dial 911 in South Korea 95% fail

    911 is not a Korean emergency number. Police is 112 and fire/ambulance is 119. A 911 call will not reach Korean emergency services.

  2. Assume English-only is fine without giving your location in Korean or via app 40% fail

    Operators offer interpretation but locating a non-Korean-speaking caller is slow. Korea's 119 and 112 support location sharing; failing to share GPS or a Korean landmark delays dispatch.