For Foreign tourists or foreign residents in Korea

For Foreign tourists or foreign residents in Korea

Emergency

Dealing with thievery•criminal activities
Korea is not a very dangerous place, but there are cases or thievery, robbery and fraud. Since all these crimes can be prevented, they shouldn’t be worried over too much. As long as you make sure to be careful while touring Seoul, your touring experience should stay quite pleasant and safe.

	Snatching Make sure to keep your eyes on the baggage when in a station, airport, hotel lobby or inside an express bus. Thievery can occur when baggage are left unattended.
	Pick pocketing Make sure to keep wallets and passports, and all items which can easily be removed, in a safe place and be careful. There are cases in which a stranger will walk over and talk to you and you find out that your wallet is missing. Do not carry excess amount of cash, and keep your passport, wallet, cash, credit card and other important items separately. It’s advised to keep important items at the hotel safe.
	Food stalls•Overpricing of Food This problem has decreased significantly compared to the past, but overpricing tends to happen in food stalls in markets. However, since the food sold at food stalls in such areas are generously slightly more expensive, many travelers think they are being overcharged. There has been an increasing number of stalls with food price listed, so check the pricing before ordering.
	Taxi When riding a taxi, always make sure that the meter is working. If you feel nervous about a normal taxi, then board the slightly more expensive, but safer, black exemplary taxis. Furthermore, there are drivers who approach people at airports saying “○won to the city center,” but in order to avoid any troubles, use the meter. In the case of being overcharged by a taxi, called the police (112) or the Korean tourism Center at 02-735-0101.

● If you are the victim of a crime
Although people tend to panic when they become the victim of such crimes, it is advised to keep calm and contact the police. Contacting the hotel front or the guide is also a good idea.
If there isn't anyone you can rely on, call the police. The Korean police offers interpreted phone calls, so say "English Please" and you will be directed to an interpreter in which you may communicate in English.
Foreign tourists are advised to contact the appropriate embassy as well, not just the police.



1. Proof of thievery or missing items
Receive proof of thievery or missing items from the nearest police station.

２． How to handle different situations

Plane ticket：If you take the proof of stolen ticket, along with your passport, to the airline counter, they will reissue your ticket upon confirmation. In most cases, discount tickets can not be re-issues, but it’s worth explaining the situation to the airline. In the case of e-tickets, printing it again is OK.

Credit card, T/C：It’s important to first contact the company which has issued the credit card (in the case of T/Cs, the call the appropriate numbers). Take the proof of stolen items to the place where the card was issues to receive a new credit card. In the case of T/C, T/C number and date of purchase may all be required to re-issuing. Receiving your new card or T/C will take a few days once cleared.

Checked-in Baggage： In the case of missing checked-in baggage, take the claim tag to n airport staff member to find the baggage again.

Passport：Declare to the embassy that the passport has been lost and reissue a new one at the same time. In the case of claiming lost passport, you will need proof of lost items, an ID photo (4.5cm by 3.5cm), an ID or a proof of citizenship (original copy) and an additional fee. In the case of reissuing a passport, another photo and additional fee is required. The holder of the passport must be the one to make requests for reissuance.

Handling illness or accidents
Since Korea has a relatively clean sanitary condition, there isn’t anything one needs to be particularly careful about, but since different food, water and environment may be detrimental to one’s health, it’s advised to carry about medications one would normally take back in his or her country just in case.

● In order to maintain one’s health
Oftentimes, there are cases in which visitors to Seoul will go out to the night market and enjoy spicy food and then suffer from fever of diarrhea. It’s important to get plenty of rest while on trips to foreign countries. Furthermore, eating at food stalls during the summer may increase your risk of consuming spoiled food. Even if it’s not from food stalls, be careful when having raw food, such as raw oysters, during the summer. Avoid drinking directly from tap and drink mineral water or other drinks instead.

● When ill

Once you are ill, it’s the best to contact the hotel front. High class hotels usually have a doctor standing by and may also call a hospital or the ambulance.
If the symptoms are mild, take the medication which you have brought from your home country. In certain cases, some Korean medications have not been approved in other countries, so avoid taking in Korean medications unless there is no other medication.

● If in an accident
Furthermore, Since Korean drivers tend to be more aggressive than Japanese drivers, one should be careful when crossing any roads.
If caught in an accident, it’s the best to call the ambulance. If you have registered for foreign travel insurance, then calling the service desk or the appropriate medical facility for help is advised as well.

Emergency Contacts and Related Services

Numbers of all cases
112：police
119：fire station/emergency

■ Embassies

Embassies	TEL	Embassies	TEL
The US Embassy in Korea	02-397-4114	The Japanese Embassy in Korea	02-2170-5200
The British Embassy in Korea	02-3210-5500	The Chinese Embassy in Korea	02-756-7300 02-755-0453
The German Embassy in Korea	02-748-4114	The Korean Representative in Taiwan	02- 2758-8320∼5
The French Embassy in Korea	02-3149-4300	The Singaporean Embassy in Korea	02-736-1207 02-736-1208
The Canadian Embassy in Korea	02-3783-6000	The Thai Embassy in Korea	02-790-2955 02-795-0095
The Russian Embassy in Korea	02-318-2116~8	The Australian Embassy in Korea	02-2003-0100 02-2003-0111

■ Medical Services For Foreigners
Medical Referral Service
The Seoul Global Center (SGC) launched by the Seoul Metropolitan Government operates a 24- hour Medical Referral Service (MRS) for foreigners.
- Hours: regular hours (8 a.m. to 8 p.m.), emergency only (8 p.m. to 8 a.m.)
- Tel: 010-4769-8212 or 010-8750-8212
- E-mail: medicalreferral@seoul.go.kr

International SOS Korea Ltd.
International SOS Korea Ltd. provides medical assistance services and evacuation and repatriation services for expatriates in Korea.
languages: English, Japanese and French. However, the service is available only to members.
- Tel. 02-790-7561 (24 hours)

1339
1339 is the number of the Emergency Medical Information Center. When you call 1339, Englishspeaking doctors assist foreigners, providing them with relevant medical information on emergency situations 24 hours. To use the service, dial 1339 directly without area codes. However, when you call by a mobile phone or outside Seoul, dial 02-1399.

General hospitals with international clinics in Seoul

● Asan Medical Center
International Clinic
- Address: 388-1 Pungnap-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul
- Tel. 02-3010-5001, 5003
- Emergency: Tel. 02-3010-3333
- Website: http://www.amc.seoul.kr/eng [K, E, C, J]

● Cha Medical Center
International Health Services (IHS)
- Address: 650-9 Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
- Tel. 02-3468-3127
- Emergency: 010-9161-3117 (available 24 hours)
- Website: http://kangnam.chamc.co.kr/ic/ [K, E]

● Hanyang University Medical Center
International Healthcare Center
- Address17Haengdang-dong,Seongdong-gu,Seoul
- Tel. 02- 2290-9553
- 24 Hour Emergency Care Center (English support): Tel. 02-2290-8282 / 016-379-7534 (English support), 010-6270-2296 (English support)
- Website: http://hmc.hanyang.ac.kr [K, E]

● Jaseng Hospital of Oriental Medicine
International Clinic
- Address: 635 Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
- Tel. 02-3218-2167(English) / 02-3218-2106/2169 (Japanese)
- Website: http://www.jaseng.net [K, E, J]

● Gangnam St. Mary’s Hospital
International Health Care Center (IHC)
- Address: 505 Banpo-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul
- Tel. 02- 590-2932
- Website: http://www.cmckangnam.or.kr/eng/main/ index.jsp [K, E, C, J]

● Samsung Medical Center
International Health Services (IHS)
- Address: 50 Irwon-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
- Tel. 02- 3410-0200/ emergency: Tel. 02- 3410-2060
- Website: http://english.samsunghospital.com [K, E, C]

● Seoul National University Hospital
International Clinic
- Address: 28 Yeongeon-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul
- Tel. 02-2072-2890/0505 or 013-0484-0505(English, Japanese support 24 hours)

In an emergency, you can obtain information on where the nearest hospital is and which hospitals have English-language support.
- Website: http://www.snuh.org/pub/index_frame.jsp [K, E, J, C, M, R etc.-supports 14 languages, but for some languages, translation service is not available]

● Severance Hospital: Yonsei University Hospital
International Health Care Center (IHCC)
- Address: 134 Sinchon-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul
- Tel 02- 2228-5800/ emergency: 010-9948-0983
- Website: http://www.yuhs.or.kr/en [K, E, J, C, R]

Translation service available in all languages except Russian. English translation always available. Doctors who can speak Japanese or Chinese are available.

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Korean Tourism Association
Phone number：02-735-0101
fax：02-777-0102
e-mail：tourcom@mail.knto.or.kr

“HELP ME 119” Service for foreigners
Free service by the Fire Station Association.
Foreigners able to get immediate help, and the service also provides directions, interpretation and various other information.
•Subject：Foreign tourists or foreign residents in Korea
•Use：Anywhere in Korea, dial 119
•hours or operation：24 hours a day, 365 days a year
•possible languages：16 languages including English, Japanese, Chinese and French