What should foreigners in Korea include in an emergency preparedness kit?

Good instinct to prepare. Korea's main hazards are seasonal: typhoons and heavy monsoon rain with flooding and landslides in summer (roughly June to September), occasional earthquakes especially in the southeast around Pohang and Gyeongju, heavy snow in some winter regions, spring fine-dust and yellow-dust pollution, and everyday risks like fire. For a basic kit, keep about three days of bottled water and non-perishable food (ramen, canned goods, energy bars), a flashlight and spare batteries, a power bank, a first-aid kit and any personal medications, a small battery or hand-crank radio, KF94 masks for dust and smoke, a whistle, some cash in small bills, and copies of your passport, ARC, and insurance in a waterproof bag.

Just as important are the digital tools: install the Emergency Ready App (안전디딤돌) from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, which has English and shows alerts and nearby shelters, and keep the disaster text alerts (재난문자) enabled on your phone, since Korea pushes these for typhoons, floods, earthquakes, and fine dust (many are in Korean, so a translation app helps). Know the key numbers: 119 for fire, medical emergencies, and rescue, and 112 for police, both with interpreter support. Learn where your nearest shelter (대피소) is, often a school or subway station, which the app shows. In an earthquake, drop, cover, and hold, then move to open space; in a typhoon or flood warning, stay indoors and away from rivers and the coast. Keeping the app, some water and a flashlight, and your document copies ready covers the vast majority of situations here.