How should I prepare for typhoons, earthquakes and floods in Korea, and what help exists for foreigners?
Korea seems to have typhoons, earthquakes, and heavy floods. How should I prepare for natural disasters, and what resources are available for foreigners?
1 Answer
Korea does experience typhoons in summer and early fall, occasional earthquakes (usually mild), and heavy monsoon rains called 장마 (jangma) from late June through July. The government is actually quite well-organized when it comes to disaster alerts.
The most important thing is to download the Emergency Ready App (안전디딤돌) which sends real-time disaster alerts in English. You will also receive emergency text alerts on your phone automatically in Korean; since 2024 the alarm-level alerts for earthquakes, heavy rain, evacuation orders and similar emergencies also carry the key information in English, and Papago helps with the rest. During typhoon season, stock up on water, flashlights, and portable chargers. If you live in a basement or semi-basement apartment called a 반지하, be especially careful during heavy rain season as flooding is a real risk in those units. For earthquakes, Korea has a notification system that sends alerts within seconds of detecting seismic activity. Emergency shelters are marked with green signs throughout the city. The national emergency number is 119 for fire and rescue, and 112 for police. The 1345 immigration hotline can also assist foreigners during emergencies in multiple languages.